Odyssey
by RoadrunnerGER
Summary: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2
1. Chapter 1

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Team Torchwood investigates a series of mysterious disappearances and makes a disturbing discovery, leading to one of them being left behind alone to search desperately for the others. And this time even Jack is helpless.

A/N: Hey, all! I'm back! I thought I'd get a story finished at some point, but being several chapters in and having no end in sight on all the stories I'm writing on, I decided to finally post something. "Odyssey" is this year's NaNo project (winner: 52.306) and… far from being finished. It's set in season 2 and will go AU from there. I have lots of ideas for the story and I'm curious where the plot will take me and how long the story will be in the end. I owe big thanks to my beta _Mandassina _and my "muse" _Galadriel _who helped me through NaNo. And now, cutting a long story short... Enjoy.

**Ch****apter 1**

"It's been fun," Alyssa said to her boyfriend as they strolled down the street. "We should go to the cinema more often."

"Provided they show good movies like this one more often," Calvin replied.

"From time to time you could also accompany me to one of my kind of movies."

"What? You mean a chick flick?" Calvin smirked. "Isn't that what Isabel and Patty are for?"

"Probably, but sometimes I'd like to watch one with you," she purred, taking his hand and snuggling up to his arm while walking.

"Maybe we should do something like that at home," he suggested, wrapping his arm around her. "Somewhere more private."

"I see where you're coming from," she chuckled and tickled his side.

Absently throwing a coin in the hat of a bum, they passed him and turned around a corner.

"Thanks," he shouted after them, but they already were out of sight.

But they were not out of earshot.

Two swishing sounds.

Two thumps.

A flash of light.

With some difficulty the bum got up from the pavement and walked round the same corner. The alley before him was empty.

xXx

"Tosh? Did you have any success with the translation UNIT asked us to do?"

Captain Jack Harkness sat in his chair at the head of the conference table in their boardroom, addressing the final subject of their morning meeting.

"I think I could finally make sense of something," Toshiko replied. "It'll need more work, though."

"How much more?" Jack queried.

"I should be able to tell you by noon if it'll be necessary to translate it completely," she said.

"All right!" Jack slapped his thighs. "Then we know what to do. Tosh, you'll take care of that translation. Owen, you'll hand me in the test results of our last Rift victim this afternoon. Ianto, I'll need you to go over the budget plans…"

Their team mates snickered when he said that.

"What?" Jack snapped.

"Oh, we just wondered how much of a budget plan you'll actually get done once you've vanished behind closed doors with our teaboy," Owen teased.

Jack pouted, but the leering glance he threw at Ianto told them that they were right. Then the captain returned to the business at hand. "Gwen, you'll…"

"Um, Jack," Gwen piped up. "There's something else."

"What, Gwen?"

"Missing people." She got up from her seat and held her hands up defensively before someone could cut in. "Andy asked me to have a look at a chain of disappearances. Can we at least talk about it?"

"As long as we won't end up in the countryside again," Owen growled.

"We'll see. Maybe someone vanishes out there extra for you, Dr. Harper," she retorted.

"Thanks, PC Cooper."

"No problem," she smirked.

"All right, Gwen," Jack grumbled. "Enlighten us."

"Okay… there have been several disappearances that could not be connected in any way… Let me finish, please," she turned to Owen again when she saw him roll his eyes. "And then Andy talked with a man who claimed to have heard an attack, saw a flashing light, went around a corner, and couldn't spot the couple anymore that gave him money before. Andy did not believe anything he said until, last afternoon, Rebecca Corbin reported her sister, Alyssa Eldridge, missing. She said that Alyssa went out with her boyfriend, one Calvin Spencer. That was last Friday, and when she called yesterday she still got no response from her sister. So she went to check on her after work and there was no sign of her. Andy then tried to contact Calvin Spencer, who wasn't seen at work either. A patrol car finally found Spencer's car…" Gwen paused for effect, "further down the street where the witness claimed the couple had vanished."

"So what?" Jack asked. "I don't see what that has to do with us."

"My question is, Jack, if it could be Rift related."

Thoughtful silence fell for a moment.

"The man mentioned a flash of light. Could that have been the Rift?" Gwen prodded when Jack did not answer right away.

"But the Rift doesn't take things or, God forbid, people," Owen said instead.

"How do we know?"

Once more silence settled over the board room.

"The question's not that stupid," Toshiko conceded. "We assume that the Rift goes only one way because we get all kinds of stuff and aliens washed up on our side. What if Gwen's right and equally much stuff gets pulled in and ends up on the other side of the galaxy?"

"I don't like that idea," Owen said.

"I don't like it either," Jack growled. "Tosh, could you please check all Rift activity of the last… two weeks for anything unusual?"

"Of course, Jack."

"Okay. Gwen, you have the dates of the presumed disappearances?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll work together with Tosh and compare your dates with whatever she finds. Owen, you still have to finish those tests. Go."

The team members got up and turned to leave.

"Ianto…?" Jack said.

"In your office in ten," the young support officer said and straightened his already perfectly fitting suit. Then Ianto got out his stopwatch and started it with a smirk at the captain before he put it away again and left.

Jack smirked and watched Ianto's excellent bottom as it vanished up the corridor. He was so looking forward to working on the budget plans, pushing any thoughts about the disappearances aside for the time being.

xXx

_Torchwood. Outside the government, beyond the police.  
Tracking down alien life on Earth and arming the human race against the future.  
The 21st century is when everything changes.  
And __Torchwood is ready.__  
_

tbc…


	2. Chapter 2

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Investigating a series of mysterious disappearances, Torchwood gets just one step too close. One of them is left behind to begin a wild goose chase across the universe in order to save the team because this time Jack is among the missing. crossover

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing. If they finished the budget is Jack and Ianto's little secret. ;) Special thanks to my faithful beta reader. Enjoy… and Merry Christmas!

**Ch****apter 2**

When team Torchwood met again Toshiko did not have good news.

"I didn't find Rift activity of any kind," she reported, "but when I double checked I discovered energy spikes that our equipment hadn't picked up before. I had a closer look at them and they were alien."

"Alien?" Jack asked, uncertain if he should be relieved by the news that this was not Rift related. He had been keeping secrets that would come to light if his team found out that the Rift did _not_ only work one way, and he was not quite ready to share them yet. That the disappearances seemed to be related to alien intervention was a disturbing thought as well.

"Yes," Toshiko confirmed. "I have no idea, though, what could've caused them."

Thoughtfully Jack rubbed his chin with the knuckles of his right hand.

"Well," the captain started carefully. "I don't like having to say it, but knowing that people have vanished we have to assume that the energy spike was caused by some kind of weapon… or transporter."

"Transporter?" Owen echoed. "You mean like _Beam me up, Scotty_?"

"Excuse me?"

"You've never seen Star Trek?"

"No…" Jack replied carefully.

"Well, there's a gap in your education, Captain."

"He means some kind of teleport, sir," Ianto whispered. As he sat to Owen's left side he had to whisper loud enough to reach Jack across half of the table, so everyone heard it.

"Hey, teaboy," Owen said. "We're not at school where you have to whisper the answer to the test to your classmate."

Ianto scowled at the doctor but could not help turning an adorable shade of red. Jack coughed to hide his smirk behind his raised hand.

"Anyway," Toshiko continued as if nothing had happened. "I added the parameters to the Rift detector. It should alert us in case the…"

She could not finish her sentence because her PDA started to beep madly.

"What is it?" Jack demanded to know.

Toshiko stared at the display and shook her head with disbelief. "That can't be…" she mumbled. "Look."

And she brought up the readings on the big plasma screen.

The team looked at two spots on Cardiff's map that blinked steadily and became bigger with every blink.

"Can't be the Rift," Toshiko said. "It's too regular."

"It's not," Jack rasped, an uneasy feeling in his gut. "Get your weapons," he commanded, leading the way to the armoury. "We'll have a closer look at it."

xXx

Jack did not like that they had to split up to examine both energy sources at the same time. Of course they were wearing their Bluetooth earpieces but the feeling that something would go terribly wrong remained. Jack would have liked to just take his team and five pizzas and two pots of Ianto's coffee and have a sit in at the Hub, but he knew that was impossible. The human race might be in danger. Torchwood had to help.

Still the feeling of dread nagged at him.

_That's annoying,_ Jack thought. _We split the team up before if the situation required it. What's so different this time?_

Jack felt hesitant and that was something he could not afford at all. Biting his bottom lip he led his team out of the Hub. Gwen and Owen took the doctor's car and drove to the hot spot in the city centre while Toshiko, Jack, and Ianto rode to the shore.

"What are we searching for?" Ianto asked as they alighted from the SUV.

"I have no idea, Ianto," Toshiko groaned. "It's agile, maybe airborne."

"I hope not…" Jack mused aloud. He did not feel fear, but his unease was short of becoming overwhelming.

"Um, Jack?" he heard Owen over his earpiece.

"What?"

"There are people, unconscious people."

"Are they injured?" Jack demanded to know.

"Not as far as I can see," Owen told him. "No sign of anything alien yet, though we're getting those energy readings."

"Yeah, it's especially strong around the people," Gwen said.

"And not only around the people…" Owen snarled, almost at the same time as Toshiko said, "Jack, there's something in the air, I think."

They stood on the sandy beach and stared up at the sky where nothing could be seen.

Still something made Jack's skin tingle. Looking around he did not spot anything suspicious, but he just knew it was there.

"Jack?" Toshiko asked.

"I can sense them," Jack murmured. His face darkened. "You're right, Tosh. They must be somewhere up there." Jack felt a prickle on the back of his neck. Something was out there and it made him anxious not to know where. That he could not see the enemy left him on edge. Taking out his Webley he said, "Go back to the car."

"What the heck…?" Owen panted right then when he saw two ships uncloak right on top of them. The ships came down from the clear blue sky.

Jack let his gaze drift over the beach and the cliff. No one was there and that in itself felt weird. Spotting the entrance to a cave the captain decided to check it out. He did not get far, though, when he heard Ianto call out.

"Jack!" the young Welshman yelled, alarmed. "Tosh!"

His coworker was by his left side, her gun in hand.

Her real gun. Stun guns would not do them any good against the attackers they were facing now. From out of nowhere a ship appeared on the beach between them and the SUV.

"Ianto! Look out!" Toshiko yelled back, shooting at the humanoid creature she saw behind the Welshman. Ianto looked around just in time to see the being fall.

"Thanks," he panted.

"Tosh, Ianto! Where are you?" they heard Gwen over their earpieces.

"On the shore," Toshiko replied. "Where are you?"

"At the castle! We're trying to fight the aliens, defend the people, but it's just the two of us! We're as good as defenceless!"

"How many attackers?" Toshiko wanted to know.

"There are three ships above us, coming down rapidly. They're landing in the park!"

"They must have a mother ship somewhere!" Ianto said. "They didn't come through the Rift and are too small to cross long distances!"

When Jack now looked back over his shoulder and saw the ship the blood froze in his veins.

"Gwen! Owen!" he shouted into the comm. "I don't want you near those ships! Do you hear what I say? Don't get near those ships!"

"Jack, we've gotta help the people!" Gwen gasped. "We can't stand back and do nothing!"

"We don't have a choice!" Jack yelled. "I know them! And you'll do as I say. Stay away from…!"

Owen's shriek for help cut him short.

"Owen! Owen, do you copy?!"

There was no answer and panic gripped Jack's heart, squeezing it painfully.

"Jack! They're taking whoever crosses their paths!" Gwen screamed. "We've gotta help them!"

"There's nothing you can do!" Jack insisted. "Stay out of the line of fire! That's an order!"

"Owen!"

"Gwen! Don't!" Through his earpiece he heard screams and shots. Jack ran along the beach, closing the distance to Toshiko and Ianto who ran toward him. What Gwen was doing he did not know. He could only suspect that she went to help Owen and he knew that she would not be a match for the attackers. If Owen was in their hands already… Jack refused to think so. He trusted them to get away. _But if they don't?_ He shuddered.

As soon as Ianto and Toshiko ran past him Jack raised his gun and fired at their pursuers. Then he pivoted around to follow them.

"Run!" he screamed. "Run for your lives!"

The cave he had spotted was no option for them. It would turn into a trap. They had to try and outrun the aliens. Knowing that a ship could uncloak right in front of them at any time was not reassuring.

"We should fight them!" Toshiko gasped.

"We can't beat them! Just run!"

Jack shooed them forward, turning back and shooting at their pursuers. He thought his heart would stop when he saw Ianto stumble.

"Don't stop!" Jack screamed, grabbing Ianto's hand, pulling him with him.

"Jack!" Ianto panted.

Toshiko was a bit ahead. Every now and then she glanced over her shoulder, judging if she should stop and shoot.

"Keep running!" Jack shouted, searching desperately for a place to go. Somewhere to hide. Something to barricade themselves in.

"Ah!"

Ianto's yelp made Jack's hair stand on end. He felt the younger man slow down and grabbed him harder in order to keep him right behind him.

Ianto stumbled, though.

In a horrifying repetition of events Jack felt Ianto's hand slip out of his own.

tbc…


	3. Chapter 3

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Investigating mysterious disappearances Team Torchwood gets abducted away from Earth. As the only one left Tosh finds help at the SGC and begins a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save the team.

A/N: Thank you for the nice reviews. Special thanks to _Galadriel_ und _Mandassina_ for their support. Happy New Year! Enjoy!

**C****hapter 3**

"_Take Gray, son! Keep him safe!"_

_He did not want to go, even though he knew that the invaders were close. His father shoved the brothers' hands together._

"_Don't go!"_

"_I have to get your mother!" their father shouted. "Now go! Run!"_

_For a few seconds he watched his father's retreating back. Only when Gray tugged on his hand he turned and ran._

_They were not the only ones. A whole bunch of people was fleeing frantically into the dunes, searching for cover or just trying to get away._

_He spotted a hiding place, a hole beneath the roots of a big bush. If they could just get there. Run! Run faster! Faster! Faster! He slid under the cover of the leaves and pressed into the hollow. When he reached out to pull his little brother in, too, he realized that Gray was gone._

_His hand must've slipped out of mine, he thought miserably._

When Jack now felt Ianto's hand slide out of his grip he thought his heart would stop and his blood would freeze. Skidding to a halt, making the sand under his boots spray up, he spun around, bringing his weapon up.

There were two targets and Jack fired without hesitation, the bullets finding their ways into the attackers' chests...

…where they did not hit and kill thanks to the armour they wore.

"Shit!" Jack yelled. "Ianto? Ianto get up!"

Panic tightened Jack's chest. The young Welshman did not move. For all Jack knew he was unconscious. Glancing over his shoulder Jack saw Toshiko slow down as well.

"Run!" he shouted.

With a scream of rage and desperation Jack launched himself at the attackers, hoping that Toshiko would get away and that he could take down the enemies.

It was an uneven fight. Jack was hit hard and shoved aside. He stumbled and went down in the sand.

_Noooo!_

Seeing that one of the assailants grabbed for Ianto Jack scrambled to his feet and lunged at the other adversary.

Then everything vanished in a flash of light.

xXx

In her peripheral vision Toshiko noticed the flash of light behind her and spun around.

The beach was empty.

"What…?" she gasped, slowing to a halt.

Panting she stood and stared on the spot where the sand was scuffed up.

The spot where Jack and Ianto had been.

The spot from where they were taken.

"No," she moaned as realization slowly settled in. "No. That can't be. Jack! Ianto!"

Her shouts died away unheard.

Reaching up she activated her earpiece.

"Gwen? Owen?"

She got no reply.

"Gwen? Can you hear me? Owen! Where are you?" Still no one answered and Toshiko became angry, "Bugger! Owen! This is no joke! Answer me!"

Nothing.

"Owen! Gwen!"

Toshiko could try as often as she liked, she knew she would not get an answer. Choked up with anxiety she ran back to the SUV. Climbing in on the back seat she fired up the computer and logged into the police radio.

"_Radio discipline, 29-10," someone from despatch said._

"_I'm not making things up," the unfortunate officer replied. "There were three ships in the sky! UFOs! They landed in the park and strange people got out, shooting at people and then they just vanished! Flashes of light and they were gone. Then they flew away!"_

"_Quit occupying the frequency with that bollocks and come back to headquarters!"_

Toshiko had heard enough. With a sinking feeling in her gut she climbed into the driver's seat. Before she could start it she had to adjust the seat manually because the two positioning presets were set for the men who were much taller. Once she could comfortable reach the pedals she drove the SUV off the beach and back into Cardiff's centre. When she pulled the car over next to the park she spotted Owen's BMW.

"Owen?" she tried once more her earpiece. "Owen answer me! Owen!"

Still there was no response.

"Gwen? Gwen do you hear me? This isn't funny, guys. C'mon! Speak to me!"

As she tried to reach her team mates she rushed along the sidewalk to the park entrance and into the park.

Nothing.

There was no sign of the former police constable and the doctor. Toshiko ran further down the path but found no one at all. The park seemed to be vacant.

"Gwen?" she shouted.

Nothing.

Straining to listen to any sound Toshiko noticed that not even birds were singing. It was unnaturally silent in the park.

"Where are they?" she murmured to herself. "Gwen, Owen… Ianto! Jack!"

She got her mobile phone out and dialled the number of the police headquarters, demanding to speak to PC Davidson.

"Andy?" she called out when he answered. "This is Toshiko Sato, Gwen's colleague. Did you hear anything from Gwen in the last half hour?"

"No," he replied. "I'm sorry, but we're pretty busy handling all the people reporting the UFO sightings. You Torchwood lot don't know anything about those ships the people claim to have seen?"

"No," Toshiko said, feeling horrible.

"Didn't think so," Andy huffed and quit the call.

Toshiko snapped her phone shut. Helplessly she stood in the empty park. What had happened to her team mates? She was too scared to admit that she had a good idea of what had happened.

They had been shot with some kind of stunner and were transported off with an energy beam. The transporter must have been the origin of the flash of light that went along the vanishing of the people.

Toshiko was scared to death by the thought that their whole team had been abducted by aliens. She knew that she had to find them.

She did not know how to do that.

tbc…


	4. Chapter 4

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Investigating mysterious disappearances Team Torchwood gets abducted away from Earth. As the only one left Tosh finds help at the SGC and begins a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save the team.

**Ch****apter 4**

Toshiko returned to the Hub alone.

It was a peculiar feeling to enter the familiar base through the cog door and to know that no one would be waiting. No one would come in later.

Toshiko sat down at her workstation and activated the computer, uncertain about what to do.

_The database,_ she thought. _Jack said that he knew them. So they could be in the database._

She had seen their ships and two of the assailants. It might take forever, but she would search the whole database to identify the invaders who had taken those humans captive.

_What will they do to them? Why have they taken them in the first place?_

Toshiko shuddered when unwanted memories forced back into her consciousness. In her mind's eye she saw green hills, smelling of wet grass, and old cottages. She saw a cellar and heard the fear filled voice of Ianto who tried so hard not to let her see how scared he really was. The fridge. The rifle. The abattoir. The run through the woods. The bodies hanging from the ceiling.

She choked.

_Is that what the aliens wanted the people for? Food? Did they stop by for a… snack?_

Pushing this disturbing thought aside Toshiko pulled up Torchwood's alien database and began to go through it in search for the creatures that had taken her colleagues. She saw photos and illustrations of many aliens she had never heard about. When she spotted an especially interesting example she glanced over the description. She did that for about an hour, still hoping against hope that someone else would enter the Hub, before she slumped over her keyboard and dissolved in tears.

xXx

Rattling and screeching brought Toshiko back to her senses. She needed a moment to realize what was wrong, but then it hit her that their pet pterosaur was thumping against the bars that covered the exit from her nest to the central Hub.

_She must be hungry,_ Toshiko thought.

Forcing herself to get up she padded down to the storage where Ianto kept Myfanwy's food. She filled a bucket with fish and splashed some of the _barbecue sauce_ over it. Prepared like that the pterodactyl would know that this was her dinner and nothing else. Toshiko was about to carry the bucket up to the central Hub when her gaze fell on a box with dark chocolate bars. She swallowed. A note stuck to the carton, written in Ianto's neat handwriting.

_Owen, this is NOT an emergency-survival-kit for our doctor (you)! Touch it and I'll spray your porn stash with barbecue sauce. Good luck explaining to Myfanwy not to touch it._

Toshiko could not help but chuckle as she read that, but then tears shot to her eyes. She needed a moment to collect herself before she could return to the central Hub and find the button that would open the gate and let the prehistoric animal fly.

Screeching Myfanwy left her nest and soared around the water tower one, two, three, four times, before she finally landed on the railing of a walkway.

"Here, Myfanwy," Toshiko said and went a bit closer with the bucket. She was uncertain how to do it. Usually Ianto fed the pterosaur. _I wonder if she'll miss him. Ianto's definitely her favourite human._ In the end she emptied the bucket onto the floor.

"Here."

Crying Myfanwy flapped her wings and hopped down from her perch. Then she began to pick up the fish.

Toshiko was grateful that it worked like this. She looked up to the nest. _I guess I should clean it._

As soon as she thought it she was so fixated on the idea that she climbed up to the highest floor where the pterodactyl's nest was made in a tunnel. She knew she had better things to do and cleaning the nest might not become a priority for several days to come, but she just could not help it. The urge was too strong. When she entered the tunnel and went over to the nest it was smelling strongly. Toshiko tried to breathe as shallowly as possible as she hurried to scratch the worst dirt away.

_One more thing Ianto's doing. You barely notice him being around and you wonder what he's doing the whole day. Because he's doing it so graciously._ She smiled to herself. _Oh, I remember when Jack was pissed at Owen and made him clean up here. You could hear his curses down in the Hub._

This memory once more drove tears to her eyes.

Once she was finished Toshiko realized with horror that someone had to feed Janet as well. And as no one else was there this someone would be her.

_Oh, crap._

She never had been fond of the weevils. It made her sad to know that they were stuck on this planet, but except for that she did not like them.

_I'll better get done with it._

So Toshiko went down to the vaults and gave Janet her dinner. The weevil protested loudly, but Toshiko suspected that she was always that wild. She was a weevil after all.

Back up in the Hub she kept watching Myfanwy until she returned to her nest. Toshiko closed the gate and returned to her workstation where she continued to search the database for the assailants from the beach.

_How long have they been gone now?_

Toshiko did not really know. She had not checked on the time when she had left the beach.

_What else could I do? Should I call UNIT? Would they be able to help? Maybe they know how to reach Jack's mysterious friend, the Doctor._

Then another thought hit her like a sledgehammer.

_Rhys!_

_Oh, my God. I'll have to tell Rhys!_

Unable to find the strength inside her to take that step she remained sitting at her desk and brooded.

xXx

Ianto came to with a start. He did not know what had woken him. What he noticed at once, though, was that his back hurt from lying on hard ground. Trying to stretch he squirmed and noticed that he could not move his arms. His left foot hit something hard.

_What the heck?_

His eyes flew open like he woke from a nightmare.

A very real nightmare.

"Whoa!"

"Shhh," someone whispered close to his ear, the hold on his upper body tightening.

"What…?" Ianto gasped. Looking down he discovered a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him. _That's why I can't move._

Frantically he looked around, his gaze darting from place to place of his unfamiliar surroundings.

_Bars! Cold ground! More bars! This is a cage!_

His breathing accelerated and he threatened to hyperventilate.

"Shhh," the soothing voice murmured again. "Easy, Ianto. Breathe. Just breathe."

_Jack!_

Ianto's head snapped around so fast that he almost hit his lover. At once a hand came up and held his head as Jack pressed his lips on Ianto's.

"Jack!" Ianto panted when the hold lessened again. "What happened? What's going on? Where are we?"

"Shhh," Jack hushed. "Not so loud, Yan."

"What? Why?"

"Shhhh!" Jack hissed more insistently, clapping a hand over Ianto's mouth. "I mean it. Don't draw attention," he whispered urgently. "I don't want to give them reason to separate us."

"Who?" Ianto gasped.

"Tebr'ox," Jack told him. "I once met them when I was with the Time Agency."

"Who are they?"

"A nomadic tribe. Some of them were…," he trailed off, hesitating to reveal the truth. A strangled gasp and scream saved him for now.

"What the heck…?" a woman shouted. "Where am I?"

"Gwen!" Ianto yelled back, struggling to free himself of Jack's hold and get to the bars of the cage. "Gwen!"

Jack let go of him but followed right behind, taking Ianto's shoulders when they were standing. "I said, don't draw attention."

"But it's Gwen," Ianto murmured back anxiously.

"Yes, Yan. It's Gwen. So what?"

"So… Jack! We've got to help her."

"And do what, Yan? Look around us."

So Ianto really looked around for the first time, his hands closing around the bars, holding on so hard that his knuckles shone white. There was a row of cages and each one was filled with people. And on the other side of the corridor were more cages, equally occupied. It smelled of sweat and fear and the people cried or talked anxiously.

"Owen!" he heard Gwen shout.

"Oh, Celi," the Welshman rasped, feeling his legs buckle. "What happened to us? What is this place?" He turned to his lover, murmuring anxiously, his voice almost breaking, "Jack?"

"Gwen," Owen's reply carried over to them. "Are you all right?"

Ianto did not hear him anymore. There was a noise in his ears that made it almost impossible to hear what Jack said.

"I think…" Jack swallowed dryly. "I think it's a space ship."

"And now?" Ianto asked.

Jack just wrapped his arms around Ianto, catching him as he broke down with the realization. They were on a space ship, taken away from earth, from their home, from their lives. Ianto shuddered. Hard tremors coursed through his body and he hid his face in the crook of Jack's neck and cried.

tbc…


	5. Chapter 5

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Thanks to _whashaza_. I'm sorry for the delay, but real life got in the way of updating. Special thanks to _mandassina_ for beta-reading… sometimes it's scaring me how much we think alike. LOL Enjoy!

**Ch****apter 5**

"Yes, Owen! I think I'm all right," Gwen mumbled as she shoved past other people to get to the bars separating her cage from Owen's. "Did you hear Ianto?"

"Yeah, the teaboy's here, too," Owen growled, taking her hands through the bars. "You've got an abrasion there," he said, reaching up to brush over the spot on her forehead.

"Just a scratch," she assured him. "What happened?"

"Well, I can only guess," Owen replied, "but I think those aliens put us into their ships and brought us here… wherever here is."

"It stinks."

"Smells of fear," Owen confirmed. "You're not injured, are you?"

"I don't think so." Gwen rubbed the back of her neck, though. "I'm awfully tense. My muscles hurt."

"Maybe an effect of their kind of stun gun." Owen looked her over from head to toe. She really seemed to be okay. "Sit down, Gwen."

"We've got to get out of here," she panted excitedly. "We have to find a way back!"

Owen stared at her with open incredulity.

"What?" Gwen snapped. "Is something wrong with my face?"

"Nope," Owen drawled. "It's just… How the bloody hell do you expect to get out of here?"

"There must be a way out," she insisted. "Maybe we can pick the lock."

"Good luck."

"Owen!" she complained. "Have a little more faith."

"Hmph."

He turned and sat with his back leaning against the bars. Knowing Gwen she would try to find a hairpin and try to open the lock. Maybe it would work. Maybe not. But even if it worked, what would she do then? All they could see right now were rows of cages, all of them stuffed with prisoners. Since their capture Owen had not seen any of their assailants. They could be anywhere, and judging by the cargo hold, and he would not call it anything else, the ship had to be huge. It probably was capable of interstellar travel. Owen knew that he had not been awake for long, but if they were travelling in hyperspace, they could be anywhere in the galaxy by now.

"Jack will find us," Gwen suddenly said with firm conviction.

"Yeah," Owen growled and glanced sideways.

"Don't sound so optimistic," Gwen chided sarcastically. "Are you ready to give up so soon?"

"I don't know, Gwen. Look around you. Doesn't this discourage you?"

Seemingly for the first time Gwen looked at the cages around them.

"But we've got to do _something_!" she insisted. "When Jack comes…"

"No, Gwen!" Owen growled. Now he turned around again to face her. It was time to tell her what he had seen earlier. "I hate to break it to you, PC Cooper, but your precious Jack's stuck in the same cage as Ianto."

"Wha…?"

Her jaw dropped. Bonelessly she slumped against the bars, sliding down and coming to sit on the cold floor. She stared at a distant cage, sightless with shock.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Owen grumbled and leaned against the bars again. There was nothing they could do.

xXx

Taking a deep breath Toshiko reached out for the door bell and rang. She did not have to wait long until the door opened and she was confronted by Rhys Williams, Gwen's fiancée.

As soon as she stood across from him it was over. She had promised herself not to break down, but the moment she saw him a sob escaped her and she started to cry helplessly.

"Oh, my God! What happened? Where's Gwen?" he demanded anxiously. She fought to control her tears and answer him, but she wasn't quick enough. Rhys's worry made him impatient, and after a few seconds, he demanded again, "Tosh? What has happened to Gwen? Why isn't she here with you?"

The fear in his voice made her shudder. There was no easy way to tell him so she chose the direct approach.

"Gwen vanished," she finally managed to choke out.

"What?" Rhys panted. "What happened?"

"I'm not even sure about that," Toshiko admitted.

Knowing that he would not get any more information for a while and realizing that Toshiko needed a few moments to collect herself, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Come in," he said, carefully guiding her. "Have a seat."

Toshiko let herself be herded into the living room where she slumped on the couch. Rhys hurried away to return with a glass of cold water.

"Here," he offered. "That'll help you."

She sipped at the water, but she did not feel that it helped. Only slowly did she manage to regain some semblance of control. Then, in a weepy voice, she managed to explain.

"There had been a series of disappearances in the vicinity of alien energy signals," she said. "A few hours ago, we went out to investigate more signals, and… and she was taken."

"And where was pompous Jack to prevent it?" Rhys thundered, jumping up from where he had squatted beside her. "What's he going to do about it?"

"I… I don't know," she stammered. "Jack… he's… he's gone, too."

Rhys's jaw dropped and he stared at her with undisguised shock and dismay.

"Ianto and Owen as well," she said softly, so lowly that Rhys almost missed it.

"Tosh, I'm sorry," he murmured with a tremor in his voice, dropping down on the sofa beside her and hugging her carefully. He looked a little on the pale side now and his voice was wavering when he asked, "Just… how can they vanish? Were you out on the job? Have those weevil things taken them?"

A strangled and pained laugh escaped Toshiko at the idea that weevils kidnapped her team mates. "No, Rhys. No weevils."

"But… what?"

Toshiko fought against her tears. She had to calm down and talk with Rhys.

The door bell interrupted them.

"Sorry," Rhys said, letting go of her. "I'll be right back." And he hurried to the door, intent on getting rid of whoever was outside, but when he opened Andy Davidson stood on his threshold.

"Is Gwen here?" Andy asked and more or less pushed into the apartment. "I need to talk to her."

Rhys smashed the door shut and grabbed Andy's police jacket.

"Hey! Don't you come storming in like that!" Rhys told him angrily. "What's up?"

"I have to talk to Gwen. Is she here? No? I won't go until I've talked to her." While Andy spoke he charged into the living room, Rhys right on his heels. When he looked around in search for Gwen he found Toshiko. "Oh, you're here, too! And where's Gwen?"

Steeling herself Toshiko wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her shirt and stood up. Surprisingly facing Andy was easier than facing Rhys.

"Andy, sit down," she commanded, and added when he wanted to protest. "Now."

So the constable dropped down on an easy chair. He glowered at Toshiko. Something was wrong and he needed to find out.

"Rhys, have a seat, too," Toshiko said. "Please."

Hesitantly Rhys did as he was told.

"Good. Now let's all calm down and then we'll talk. Calmly. Okay, guys?"

"Yeah," Andy grumbled.

Rhys only nodded.

"Thank you. Andy, why are you here?"

"I want to talk to Gwen. It's about those UFOs. I don't think that they were figments of anybody's imagination. Too many people reported the same thing. I think they were real! And who else should I ask about them than Gwen… or you?"

"Okay, I'm here. Ask away."

"Were they real?"

Toshiko hesitated only for a second. "Yes."

"I knew it!" Andy cheered. "So I was right? The UFOs have something to do with the disappearances?"

"UFOs?" Rhys cut in. "Disappearances?"

"Yes."

Rhys blanched visibly. "Is that where Gwen…? I mean…"

Toshiko sank back on the sofa, weighed down by the truth.

"Yes, she was attacked by the aliens," she choked, fighting fresh tears. "We all were."

"And what…?" Andy gasped.

"Gone. They're gone. All four of them. I'm the only one left."

Shocked silence fell over the apartment as the men finally comprehended what Toshiko had just said.

tbc…


	6. Chapter 6

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Thank you! That Gwen was annoying you tells me that I got her exactly right. On the show she's annoying me all the time. LOL Thanks to my faithful beta-reader. Enjoy

**Ch****apter 6**

"What are we going to do now?" Andy asked.

"Excuse me?" Rhys was confused. His mind still had to catch up with the news.

"Well, if the aliens got here there must be a way to follow them," Andy said. "So, Tosh, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

"But doesn't your Torchwood have the means to…"

"If you're asking if we have a spaceship, the answer is no," Toshiko cut him short. "As much as I know the only ships we have on earth are the space shuttles. And UNIT's Valiant, but that's not a spaceship."

"Could UNIT have other ships you don't know about?" Rhys wanted to know.

"Probably. I planned to call my contact there anyway."

"Then you should do that," Rhys said, grabbing his phone. "C'mon. Here's the phone!"

"I can't call him from here," Toshiko told him. "I have to use a secure line or the call will be blocked. I should go back to the Hub…"

"And leave us here?" Andy rasped. "Knowing that aliens are out there that are kidnapping innocent people? I'll have to tell my superiors! We have to warn the people!"

_Now that's not a good idea,_ Toshiko thought. Her hand slipped into her coat pocket and closed around a small box.

"No, Andy," Rhys suddenly replied. "You can't do that! All hell would break loose!"

"But the people have to know!"

"Listen to me, Andy," Toshiko said evenly, trying to calm both agitated Welshmen. "If you think crowd control at a rugby match is difficult, imagine trying to stem the panic if people believe you when you tell them that aliens are real and out to get them."

"But they have a right to know!" Andy insisted.

Slowly Toshiko got up and turned to the kitchen. "Rhys, I want a drink. We should all just have a drink and try to calm down, get our thoughts in order, and figure out what to do."

"I think I better go," Andy said, ready to get up. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"What are you going to do, Tosh?" Rhys demanded, "Give him a pill to wipe his memories like Gwen tried to do me?"

"My memories?" Andy's voice broke and he shot up from his seat, pushing Rhys's restraining hand off his shoulder. "You can't play with my memories!" he shouted, towering over Toshiko.

"Oh, yes, she could!" Rhys said. "Couldn't you, Tosh?"

For a moment, Toshiko froze. He sounded so certain. What had Gwen told him?

"That's ridiculous," she finally said, chuckling lowly. "Rhys, there's no such thing as amnesia pills."

"She gave it to me to cover up her affair with Dr. Harper," Rhys spat. "Doesn't know it didn't work. So don't lie to me, Tosh. Don't lie to Andy. We might need him."

Toshiko stood at the kitchen counter, clutching at the edge to keep herself from breaking down. She did not blame Rhys for his resentful tone. If he knew about Retcon and he knew about Gwen and Owen, he had every right to be angry, but they could not afford Andy making a fuss, no matter if he was believed or not.

"Rhys…"

"No, Tosh. You're the only one left. You've got to trust _someone_," Rhys argued. "We already know about Torchwood. Now Andy can prove that he's trustworthy." He looked at Andy promptingly. "You are, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Andy pouted.

Toshiko was torn. She really did not know what to do. If Jack was here, he would retcon Andy in a heartbeat, but Jack was not here and that was her problem in a nutshell. Before she could make a decision, Rhys took matters out of her hands.

"Come, Tosh. Sit down. I'll make us tea, okay? Sit down, Andy."

Both of them followed his request and Rhys went to boil water.

xXx

Only slowly Gwen was getting over her shock. When her gaze finally cleared and she looked around she was astonished and scared by the number of cages… and the people locked up in them. It was hard to comprehend what had happened. They had been taken by aliens, humanoid aliens, and were crammed into those cages like chickens to be hauled to the processing facility.

Then she did a double take and jumped to her feet and to the bars.

"Alyssa?" she called out, but the woman in the cage across the aisle did not react. "Alyssa Eldridge?"

Finally the young woman raised her head, her green eyes glazed over by desperation.

"Do I know you?" she murmured.

Gwen almost missed what she said. "No, you don't. I was investigating your disappearance, Alyssa. Is Calvin here, too?"

"I don't know," Alyssa replied. "I haven't seen him."

"How long have you been here?" Gwen wanted to know.

"I don't know. Seems like forever."

"How did you get here?"

"Do you have to shout like that?" a woman right next to Gwen spat. "We're not deaf. And we can go without your stupid rambling."

"Right. Just shut the fuck up," another woman agreed.

"Fine!" Gwen snapped. "Just shut the fuck up, too, ladies. Because you certainly won't do anything useful to get us out."

"And you will, chatting with the others?"

"Maybe I will," Gwen said snidely. "Maybe I won't. But I know that I won't sit on my bum, twiddling my thumbs."

"Do you have a hero complex?" a third woman threw in. "Look around you. Does it look as if anyone would get out of here?"

"We've got to at least try!" Gwen shouted. "Do you want to give up that easily?"

The other female inmates of the cage glared daggers at her. Trying to stare them down one by one Gwen realized that the cells were filled by gender. There were only women in this one, and only men in Owen's cage.

_Great,_ Gwen thought. _We're gonna kill each other._

"We don't want to give up, love," the woman who had last spoken said. "But unlike you we've been here for a while now and have seen a lot. We _know_ that we won't get out of here. Not on our own accord."

"How can you say that?" While Gwen still thought about how to convince the others she allowed herself to have another look around and took in more than before. She saw how dirty most of the people were. She smelled the fear, but also urine and faeces. She saw the grime on the floor.

She saw that there only were the bars surrounding them. There were no toilets, no water tap, nothing but a bucket in the corner.

And finally she realized what she was really looking at. This was not like a livestock transport. This _was_ a livestock transport. Whoever caught them believed them to be nothing more than animals.

At least they had no more respect for the people they abducted.

"The realization hurts, hm, love?" the woman taunted. "Now stop getting people excited."

"I didn't…" Gwen turned back to the bars, searching Alyssa's gaze. The young woman sat in her cage, watching Gwen in return.

"I don't know how I got here," she murmured just loud enough for Gwen to hear. "I was unconscious."

_Same as I was,_ Gwen thought ruefully. She let her eyes drift over the row of cages to where she had heard Jack before. _Where is he? Where's Ianto?_ She could not find them. _Owen said that they are in the same cage._

"Who are you?" Alyssa whispered across the aisle.

"My name's Gwen Cooper," she said and hesitated. She should not say that she was with Torchwood.

"You said you were searching for me?" Alyssa prodded.

"I'm with the Cardiff police," Gwen told her and did not feel bad with the lie. She had been a copper once after all.

"Do you really think we could find a way out?" Alyssa asked fearfully.

"At least I refuse to give up the hope that we will," Gwen replied stubbornly, looking toward where Jack should be. He still was not to be seen.

"Nice thought," Alyssa mumbled, sounding less than convinced.

xXx

Toshiko was back at the Hub. Rhys had managed to talk Andy down and they agreed that they would wait for her to call her contacts before they decided together what to do next. So that was what Toshiko did before she continued her search on the database. She still had not found a fitting description. Maybe the invaders were not in there. Maybe Torchwood did not come across them before.

Declan Stoat had not been available when Toshiko rang so she left a message and was waiting for him to call her back. She was still reluctant towards UNIT after how they had treated her after her futile attempt to free her mother. Stoat, though, had proven himself to be reliable and so she trusted him to try and help her now.

Right then a Rift alert caught her attention. She had a look at the readings and decided on checking it out. Taking her guns she left the Hub and chased the SUV through the thick Cardiff traffic. Upon reaching the warehouse she wondered if it was such a good idea to be there. Once more she scanned the area and still got the same result, something inanimate that the Rift spat out onto earth.

Carefully, her scanner in one hand and her weapon in the other, Toshiko stalked into the warehouse and searched for what she believed to be some alien technology. It might be a shoehorn, but it might as well be an inactive war android or something with deadly radiation. Toshiko would detect radiation, but she would not know if it was harmless like a tin opener or dangerous like an Amok before she had examined it closer.

She found what she was looking for on the south side of the building. It was not that big, something metallic with lots of buttons and a display at what she believed was the top. After scanning it she decided that it was harmless. So she picked it up and put it in the containment box she carried with her. Time to return to the Hub.

When she steered the SUV past the Plass she saw Rhys and Andy cross the street.

"What are they doing here?" she thought aloud and drove down into the parking garage under the Millennium Centre from where she could enter the Hub through a tunnel. Getting out her mobile phone she called Rhys.

"Rhys, what's up?" she asked.

"We just couldn't sit and twiddle our thumbs," he said. "Can't you let us in and find us something to do?"

Toshiko sighed. Unlike Andy, Rhys had been in the Hub before. Should she let them in? Jack would be furious. But Jack was not there. None of the others was there. She was all alone.

She choked.

It was her decision to make. _Can we trust Andy? I hope so. He'll have to prove himself. Otherwise I'll have to retcon him when Rhys isn't around._

On a monitor of her workstation she saw the men standing near the water tower.

"Okay, Rhys," she agreed. "Step up on the stone." Seeing him comply and pull Andy with him she activated the lift and the stone rode down to base level of the Hub.

Andy could not speak. His mouth hung open as he gaped at the wonders around him. Once secure on ground he tried to speak, but his mouth opened and closed like a fish's on dry land.

"Snap out of it!" Toshiko ordered. "Rhys, I just collected some driftwood from the Rift. I need to put it away safely. Don't get me wrong, but could you make us some coffee?"

"Can I identify the coffee machine?" Rhys asked innocently.

"What? Why?" Toshiko asked back, confused.

"Between all the alien stuff… which one's the coffee machine?"

"The one in the kitchen area over there?" Toshiko said, pointing in the right direction and barely managing not to say _duh_. "Andy, I want you to sit on the couch over there and not move until I get back."

Andy nodded and crossed the main area of the Hub to comply.

"And don't touch anything!" Toshiko called as she hurried down to the vaults to contain the presumably harmless item until it could be properly examined.

"Okay, guys," she said upon coming back up to the rec area. "I'm still waiting for a call. Thank you, Rhys." Sighing she accepted the mug from him and sank down on the sofa. "Mmm."

"So… Is there anything we can do?" Andy asked.

"Right now?" Toshiko said. "Can't think of anything. I need to know what I can do first."

Rhys nodded thoughtfully. "I understand that. Still… just sitting around is driving me nuts."

"You could clean out the cells," Toshiko suggested.

"Erm… not that nuts," Rhys rushed to say and picked up his own mug to drink.

Toshiko hid her chuckle by sipping at her coffee. The phone saved her from having to make small talk. She rushed over to her workstation and answered the call.

"Yes, Declan," she said. "Yes, did you hear about those disappearances? Some people even reported UFOs to the police…"

She listened for a moment, then Declan had questions as well.

"Yes, we went out to see what caused the uproar. We saw small ships that came down to land on the beach. We… witnessed an abduction… Yeah, my question is if you know someone who can take an investigation out into space… Yes, because those invaders took humans. They're not likely to bring them back, don't you think?"

It became harder for her to talk when Declan now queried what she had in mind and why it was so important for her.

"You know, Declan, that really shouldn't be the question. Because you already know that the assailants will be back if we don't try and fight them now…. Yes, Declan. I just wondered if you'd know someone who, well, who can contact the Doctor… I know about Jack's connection with him, but he doesn't have the means to contact him. As the Doctor used to work with UNIT on a regular basis in the 1970s I thought that you might know…"

He did not know. Toshiko heard it with dread and she sounded choked when she asked if Declan knew anyone else who might be able to contact the Doctor. Her voice made Declan suspicious and he asked the one question that had Toshiko in fresh tears.

"It's… they have… the aliens, they took… they took Jack," she sobbed. "And Owen, and…" her voice trailed off with grief. "I have to find them. I have to bring them back."

For a moment the line was silent. Then Declan finally made the decision that put a crooked smile on Toshiko's face.

"Thank you, Declan," she said. "I'll owe you."

Toshiko finished the call and leaned back in her chair. She did not know if she could do this. What would she have to do to get them back? Was there any way at all to find them? Right now she could only think of Jack's mysterious friend, the Doctor. He would be able to help. If she could not contact him she had no idea what to do.

Hanging her head she thought miserably, _In that case they'll be lost._

tbc…


	7. Chapter 7

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

**Ch****apter 7**

Ianto was surprised that he had fallen asleep, but there was no mistaking as he clearly was startled awake by the people around him. Once more he found himself in Jack's arms, but after a quick kiss on the cheek and a murmured excuse Jack abandoned him and stood up.

There was something going on at the end of the aisle. The men and women stepped to the front of the cages, straining to see whatever was coming.

As Jack got up Ianto could not help but admire him. He still wore his greatcoat that swished slightly as Jack joined the others, but there was something else about him that made him different from the other people and Ianto wondered what it might be. He was not as dirty as the others and not that ruffled. _That's not it, though,_ Ianto thought. _It's more subtle than that. Probably has something to do with his origin or the experiences he's had. He, hmm, can that be? He doesn't look so lost. Could that be his leadership qualities?_

Being the only one left who was still sitting Ianto felt strangely out of place and so he got up as well, following Jack. His partner turned his head to look at him and murmured, "Stand back."

"Why?" Ianto asked.

"Because I'm telling you to," Jack hissed and held him off by arm's length. "You'll see why."

Ianto was confused, but did as he was told, trusting Jack implicitly.

At first Ianto did not know what the commotion was about, but then he saw them coming up the aisle. There were two of them, probably male, about seven feet tall, with dark tanned but slightly yellowish skin and fir-green eyes that looked at the captives indifferently. At first sight they could pass for humans, even though they were tall, but what gave them away were shocks of long dark purple hair and a bone ridge across their foreheads, prolonging the nose.

_Their fingers are long, very long, _Ianto thought. _And that bone ridge makes them resemble those Klingons from Star Trek._ Inwardly he chuckled at the comparison. _I shouldn't laugh. This is very real, the Tebr'ox's features not the work of make-up artists. Actually, their bone ridges don't fan out like that of Klingons but only a ridge in the middle, like the nose guard of an old helm._

One of the Tebr'ox was shoving a wheelbarrow, a bucket hanging from one of the handles. The other one held a hose.

"What are they going to do?" Ianto asked.

"Sh," Jack said. "Let me deal with it."

"But…"

"Sh!"

So Ianto made a reluctant step back. Still he could not help but watch as the two Tebr'ox as Jack had called them came closer. They stopped in the middle of the aisle, the one with the hose opening the tap and splashing the people in the cage. He also washed the ground before he reduced the pressure and filled the bucket with water. His companion then filled his bucket with what he had in his barrow and threw the content into the cage.

"What are they doing?" Ianto whispered.

"Sh!" Jack hissed. "They're feeding the people."

"Wha…?"

Ianto was thunderstruck. _They're treating us like animals! Oh, my God!_

Now it made sense. The lack of sanitary installations made washing out the cells necessary. The realization what they had to do to relieve themselves made Ianto sick. The forced closeness to the other people already was hard to stand. Ianto shuddered with the thought of having to expose himself if he wanted to urinate or defecate. And having to pick up the food off the ground… Ianto winced at the idea.

Slowly the two men approached. Soon they would reach Ianto's cage. The Welshman was not looking forward to it. Even though it meant getting food and water it also meant violence. Ianto saw it in the other cages. The men and women struggled to stay out of the way of the water and fought about the food.

Ianto wondered what Jack wanted to do. _Why did he push me away?_

When the Tebr'ox reached their cage and the water splashed into it Jack suddenly was between the bars and Ianto. Still he could not prevent that they both got soaked from head to toe. Then the second man came with the bucket and threw the food in.

"Stop!" Jack hissed as the men rushed forward.

Miraculously they froze on the spot. They looked at Jack expectantly who towered over them, arms crossed, legs spread, head raised, and looked down at them.

"Slowly," he said. "And in order. We don't want to hurt each other, right?"

It was inexplicable, but they slowly picked up the pieces of food… and left some of the best bits behind.

"Gant!" one of the Tebr'ox shouted, banging against the bars with a heavy stick he had carried on his belt.

The men shied back from him. As he stepped back from the bars Ianto noticed with surprise that Jack almost jumped away from the stick. He even ducked slightly. As soon as the Tebr'ox went to the next cage, though, the captain straightened up, displaying his full authority.

"It's okay," he said. "Thank you." And he picked up the food and returned to Ianto. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his eyes filled with compassion.

"What for?" Ianto asked, brushing his wet hair back.

"Couldn't keep you from…"

"Stop it!" Ianto cut him short. "There was no way you could've done anything. Just…" he took him by the lapels of his greatcoat and pulled him closer, "how did you make the others behave?"

"Well, we… had a situation before," Jack told him. "I taught them not to mess with me."

"What happened?"

"Someone was too curious, trying to take my wrist strap," Jack murmured to him.

"Ouch." Ianto could imagine that Jack became quite intimidating in that moment. No one, not even he, Ianto, was allowed to take Jack's wrist strap.

"It wouldn't be so good to show my authority over the others to the Tebr'ox, though."

"Why not?"

"I don't want them to separate us, Yan," Jack whispered, his lips brushing against the Welshman's cheek. "We have to stay together."

"Don't mind that plan," Ianto mumbled into Jack's hair. "What do you have there?"

"Hm?"

"The food."

"No idea," Jack admitted. "But it doesn't look that bad." He made a step back and held it out for Ianto to choose. "Or should I taste it first?" he offered.

"Nah," Ianto refused and bravely took something that looked like a slice of melon. "I don't think that they want to starve us."

"Yeah… they just don't care if we get enough food."

"It'll have to suffice," Ianto said and took a hesitant bite. Chewing carefully he decided that it was edible. "It isn't that bad."

Jack looked at him with a strange mixture of sorrow and pride.

"I'm sorry," Jack rasped and wrapped his arms around Ianto. "I'm so sorry."

"Jack?" The sudden display of emotion made Ianto nervous.

"I knew who they were when they uncloaked the ships. I should've defended you, should've kept you safe. I'm so sorry that I couldn't."

"It's okay, Jack," Ianto murmured, hugging Jack in return.

"It's not," Jack almost whined. "I'm so sorry."

Together they sank down on the ground, still wrapped up in a tight embrace. So they sat and gave each other comfort while slowly silence settled over the cargo bay after the Tebr'ox had left.

xXx

Later Toshiko waited on Declan's call. She looked over to the rec area where Rhys and the constable were fast asleep on the sofa and easy chair. They had talked themselves to sleep while she continued to search her computer.

Every now and then she glanced at Jack's office. She knew that some answers might be hidden in there as well as a lot more questions.

Then she did a double take. There it was, the picture of one of those creatures.

"They're called Tebr'ox," she murmured to herself. "Never heard of them before." The picture in the file was hand drawn, but she still was sure it was them. Unfortunately, though, there was no home planet mentioned in the file. "Maybe Jack entered them into the database. He must know a lot of people from all over the universe."

Once more she looked at Jack's sanctum.

"He wouldn't mind, would he?" she wondered. Taking a deep breath she got up and marched over to the office. Carefully she put her hand on the handle and felt like an intruder when she slowly stepped over the threshold. She had been in this office so often, but this was different. It was different because Jack was not there.

Now she stood in the familiar office and asked herself where to search first. She walked around the desk and opened the drawers. There was nothing like a notebook or something where Jack kept his contact information.

_Why do I assume that it is something he has written down? It could be some alien artefact that allows communication across space._

For a second she was tempted to sit down in Jack's office chair, but even the idea chased chills down her spine. Slowly she let her gaze drift over the tabletop. All the knick-knacks she hardly paid attention to while he was still present appeared so strange now that he was gone. The most interesting item was a piece of coral. It was pretty and Toshiko wondered why she never really noticed it before.

Admiring the coral did not help her, though.

_What could be a communication device? Where could he have hidden information about his mysterious friend?_

The ringing of her phone led her back out to her workstation. She hurried to her desk and dropped into her chair.

"Yes?"

"Hello, Toshiko," Declan Stoat said. "I made some arrangements for you."

"Arrangements?" Toshiko asked. "I thought you'd give me some information."

"I don't have information. I have people who could probably help. Your flight leaves Cardiff airport at 06:30 am."

"Flight?" she gasped. "I don't think that I can leave…"

"You should arrange something, because you're going to Washington."

"You mean as in Washington D.C.?" Toshiko prodded. "What am I supposed to do in America?"

"You're searching for someone who can help you get your colleagues back, right?" Declan demanded to know. "Well, then you're going to Washington."

"To do what?"

"Someone will pick you up," Declan said.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you more, Tosh," Declan insisted. "I'm skating on thin ice already. You'll get your tickets at the terminal. Good luck."

And before Toshiko could argue he had disconnected.

"Washington?" Rhys startled her. She had not noticed that he stood behind her.

"Obviously," she replied. "Declan wouldn't give me any names so the only way to find out if this lead is promising is to go there."

"And what will we do?" Rhys asked. "What will happen with the Hub? What about the Rift?"

_That's a good question._ Toshiko drew a blank at first, then she grasped the first idea she had. "I'll call Archie. I wonder what he's doing up there in Glasgow anyway."

"Great. And what about Andy and me?"

"You could help Archie. You know some of the Hub and I'll show you where you find the food for Myfanwy and how to feed her. Same goes for Janet. Andy?" she shouted, waking the young constable. "Andy, you'll help Rhys. C'mon! I'll have to show you a lot before I go."

"Go?"

"And don't expect me to be back soon."

The two men looked at each other sheepishly. They both had wanted to be a part of Torchwood in some way, but this was going a bit too far and too fast for their liking. Rhys already saw himself running after weevils and other flotsam and jetsam that washed through the Rift and by the look on Andy's face the police officer harboured similar thoughts.

Toshiko was determined, though. Once she made the decision there was no turning back. She would rescue her team, no matter what she had to do.

xXx

Gwen brushed her wet hair back. It was drying slowly because it was warm but pretty humid in the cargo bay. She had managed to get some sort of fruit when the Tebr'ox fed their prisoners. It was unidentifiable. For a moment Gwen wondered how it was usually eaten before she tentatively bit into it. The taste was all right and the skin seemed to be edible. In the end there was just a little core left. There was nowhere to dispose of it, so she left it on the floor beside her. Now she understood even better why the Tebr'ox washed out the cells with a hose.

Behind her Owen shifted his position on the other side of the bars.

"How are you?" she asked without turning her head.

"Hungry," Owen growled. He also had managed to catch some food, but it was not enough to satisfy him.

"When aren't you hungry?" she teased and got elbowed. "Hey!"

"This is not the time for stupid jokes," Owen snarled.

"Sorry, Owen." Gwen really was sorry. The teasing just slipped off her tongue so easily. Good natured mocking was normal in their work relationship.

"Yeah, yeah," Owen said. "Just reign in your weird sense of humour. Nothing here is funny."

"I wasn't…"

"Just keep your mouth shut for a while," Owen suggested. "Do us all the favour, will you?"

Gwen pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. She wanted to argue, but she did not know what to say. Whatever she wanted to say appeared to be of no relevance given where they were and how they were held captive. Not for the first time she wondered why the Tebr'ox caught so many people anyway. What was the purpose? Were they food for them? Probably.

Right now she did not want to keep thinking. She was tired. Sighing Gwen tried to find a more comfortable position to rest.

tbc…


	8. Chapter 8

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate. I just thank their creators for

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

**Ch****apter 8**

In his cage Jack was the only one who was awake right now. He did not allow himself to sleep. As he usually did not need much sleep that was not a problem yet. His gaze drifted through the cell, over the men who were locked up with him, and out to the other cages.

He had tried to listen to what little he could understand of Gwen and Owen's conversation. It was obvious that the shock had subsided. They would slowly settle into the new situation before they would realize what was going on and try to get out.

Jack did not believe that they could get out.

_Even if we could make it out of the cages there's a whole ship with its Tebr'ox crew left. We'd have to overpower them, without weapons and no idea about the ship's construction. It would be highly unlikely if not impossible to take over the ship. And even if we could do that, how would we get back to Earth?_

Only now Jack recalled memories he had not needed for a very long time, those of being a spaceship pilot.

_Once we have access to the bridge I should be able to fly the ship. Its navigational system should give me the information we need to set a course._

_That is if we can get there. With only the four of us, imprisoned and unarmed, there's barely a chance._

During his service for the Time Agency as well as later, after they stole two years' worth of his memories and before he joined Torchwood, Jack had been in worse situations. Still he was clueless. So far he had no idea what they could possibly do, other than trying to stay together.

Together.

That was another part of the problem. Until he had started travelling with the Doctor, he had never had to worry about anyone but himself. He could take any risk he deemed necessary, and only he would suffer the consequences. Now, he was asking others to take risks, too, and whatever mistakes were made, whatever happened to his team, ultimately, if anything went wrong, it would be his fault.

He could just about handle the responsibility on earth when they were fighting to defend their own planet. Ironically, out here in the weightlessness of space where he was the only one with any experience, that burden weighed much heavier on his shoulders. He just wanted to keep his friends safe. He wanted to keep them alive. They might live in slavery, but at least they would live.

_If we try to escape and are not successful we won't get a second chance. We will be separated for sure and then I won't be able to help the others when we're taken to be sold. On the other hand it would be better to not let it get that far. Our best chance would be to escape before we even get close to the market or wherever they are taking us._

_It might as well be our best chance to get killed._

Subconsciously he tightened his hold on Ianto who leaned against his right side, his head resting on Jack's shoulder. Absently Jack stroked his arm the whole time. When he now turned his head and looked at the young Welshman a loving smile played around his lips.

_If nothing else, I'll have to protect Ianto._

Unexpectedly Ianto raised his head and met Jack's gaze with his own intense blue eyes. Then he kissed him.

One of the other men stirred. "Hey!" he protested. "Do you have to do that? That's… disgusting."

Jack backed out of the kiss and wanted to reprimand the man when Ianto spoke.

"You know, we're in a potentially life-threatening situation here," he said. "You could get killed at any time just because you said the wrong thing. So get over your prejudices and shut up."

"Are you threatening me?" the man challenged.

"No, I'm not," Ianto replied calmly. "I'm stating a fact. Look, I'm sorry that you have nobody to lean on right now. Don't begrudge us that we have each other. Okay?"

Jack stared at his lover with astonishment. Their way from being enemies to being lovers had been a very long and rough one. What had started as physical attraction became a deeper bond after Jack's return from his travels with the Doctor. They recognized the kinship of their broken souls, developing a close relationship that was hard to understand for those who knew their violent history. Now they were an established couple, and it was no problem for Ianto to show his affection with the team present, but when he and Jack went out for dinner or to the cinema or something the young Welshman still was reluctant to show his true emotions. That he now told this man off surprised Jack.

Obviously it surprised the man as well. For a moment he looked as if he wanted to explode, but then he sat back, grumbling something unintelligible, and left them alone, trying to get back to sleep.

Having successfully shut the bigoted jerk up, Ianto settled back against Jack. It was comforting to sense Jack's breathing, hear his heartbeat, and smell his exotic future scent. The arm wrapped around his shoulders conveyed a sense of security. And he simply enjoyed Jack's caresses.

Still Ianto could not stop thinking about their hopeless situation. He did not see a way out. All he could do was to trust Jack to know what was to do. _I don't even know who those Tebr'ox are and what they want from us. Jack was rather evasive, supposedly to protect me. I don't need protection, though. I need to know what is going on. I need to know how to deal with this!_

"Jack?" he murmured.

"Yeah?"

Ianto's question came somewhat hesitantly and his voice wavered with anxiety, "Some of them are what?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked back, uncertain what Ianto meant.

"We were interrupted. You said earlier that they are nomadic and some of them were… were what?"

_Do you have to ask?_ Jack thought miserably. He did not want to tell Ianto the bitter truth, but he knew as well that he had no other choice and that it did no good to put it off.

Ianto felt Jack shift his position and turned as well until they faced each other. Then Jack pulled the young Welshman back into his embrace. His voice was low and hoarse when he finally answered Ianto's question.

"They are slave traders."

In a split second Ianto tensed up with shock, his grip on Jack tightening so much that Jack felt nearly crushed. Ianto's eyes grew wide and his breath hitched in his throat.

"I'm sorry, Yan," Jack murmured close to his ear. "You shouldn't have been there. I should've protected you."

"Nonsense," Ianto hissed, feeling anger well up inside of him. "We only knew that it was something big, so we all were needed out in the field. It's not your fault that we got caught."

"That's not true, Yan," Jack argued. "I'm responsible for you, for the whole team. It was my fault."

"It wasn't. Just like it wasn't your fault that you had to let Jasmine go."

Now it was Jack's turn to tense up. _Jasmine!_ The memory almost made him sick. Ianto had not been present when he had not really a choice between saving a little girl and condemning the world to unimaginable suffering or letting the girl go with a force that was older than anything else he knew. Still Ianto had been more understanding than the other team members. _So perceptive. Like now._

"Shhh," Ianto soothed. Worriedly he noticed that Jack turned a bit green around the gills and he wished he could take his words back. All he wanted was to reassure Jack that it was not his mistake, that the Tebr'ox were solely responsible, but it seemed to backfire. He let his fingers trail through Jack's hair and kissed the side of his neck.

_How did he end up comforting __**me**__,_ Jack thought miserably. _I should take care of him. He hasn't the slightest idea about what awaits him. None of the others do. Oh, I wish I knew a way out!_

For a moment they just sat there, hugging each other, until Ianto finally asked, "So what's the plan?"

"There is no escape plan, if that's what you mean," Jack murmured back. At once he felt Ianto tense up again, struggling with the intensity of the truth. "This ship is huge and even if I did manage to get out of the cage I couldn't fight the whole crew."

"You did before, didn't you?"

"Ianto…"

"When you were with the Doctor you fought all kinds of aliens. You could do it, couldn't you?"

"No, Yan," Jack said. "Not this time."

"Why?"

"Because all it would achieve would be that we'd get separated, Yan. We can't risk that."

"Can you call the Doctor?"

"How would I do that?" Jack asked, almost panicking at the amount of faith his young lover had in him.

"With your wrist strap. Can't you contact him somehow?"

"Martha can," Jack mused, absently rubbing Ianto's back and ruffling his hair. "Unfortunately you're the only one whom I told about her."

"Tosh doesn't know her?"

"I don't think so. Why Tosh?"

"Cause she's not here?" Ianto said.

Jack broke out of his embrace. "You're right!" he gasped. "She's not here. She'll contact UNIT. Somehow Martha will get to know about what happened and will call him." Jack smiled almost happily. "Whatever happens, though, Yan, we'll have to stay together," Jack became earnest again. "I'll do whatever I can to stay with you."

"Really?" Ianto asked hoarsely. That he had pulled himself together for their talk did not mean that he was completely over the shock of the abduction. New tears threatened to fall.

"I promise," Jack shushed, caressing Ianto's cheek. "Though, there's something else I need to talk about."

"What is it?" Ianto asked miserably. Fresh tears left trails on his dirty face.

"If we should get separated…"

"No!" Ianto gasped, panic lighting up in his blue eyes.

"Ianto, we need to talk about it. Listen," Jack insisted. "Listen, Yan. If we should get separated I want you to comply with what they demand of you."

Ianto opened his mouth to protest, but Jack silenced him with a kiss before he continued, "Don't be stubborn. Don't give them any reason to hurt you or worse. If we get separated I'll find a way to escape." He did not mention that that might include getting himself killed in the process to get away when they thought he was dead. "And then I'll find you. Do you hear me? I'll find you and get you out."

"Not a good plan," Ianto choked.

Jack wrapped him up in a crushing embrace, kissing the side of his neck and up along his jaw to his mouth where he claimed his lips in a heated kiss.

"It's the best one I have in case we can't manage to stay together, Yan. I promise you, whatever happens, no matter how far I have to travel… I'll find you."

Ianto could not be comforted. Tears were running unstoppably. Still he lost himself in Jack's embrace and caresses, knowing that at least this promise would never be broken.

tbc…


	9. Chapter 9

**Taken**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate. This is for fun, not for profit.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

**Ch****apter 9**

Toshiko arrived in Washington after a long flight most of which she spent sleeping. She had locked the most sensitive parts of the Torchwood base, the computers, the Rift manipulator, the morgue… so the whole Hub, and left Rhys in charge of the tourist office until Archie arrived. Andy would come and help him if necessary. Still Toshiko hoped that their Scottish colleague would arrive sooner rather than later. He was a strange man, but he was Torchwood and knew at least _something_ about what was required of the team observing the Rift.

At the airport she got her tickets and was guided to her seat by a friendly flight attendant. Once in the air she had something to eat and, admittedly, a couple of drinks to calm down her frayed nerves. The alcohol also helped her to sleep. Toshiko knew that she would not have been able to rest at all if she was completely sober. Or she would have needed tranquilizers.

_Better go with a drink,_ she thought. _Tastes better._

For the short part of the flight that she was awake she pushed all thoughts about Gwen, Owen, Jack, and Ianto aside. She did not want to think about all the people who had vanished. She would have to deal with it sooner than she liked.

Now she picked up her hastily packed suitcase from the baggage carousel. She did not know what Declan had done to allow her safe passage, but no one checked on her luggage which contained not only clothing but also technical equipment. Not to mention the guns.

Slowly she strolled down the terminal, watching the people around her.

_There are so many of them. No one has any idea of what happened. They're all busy. They're all leading their usual lives. Oh, Jack. I hope I can get you back._

"Dr. Sato?" someone addressed her.

When she looked around she saw a tall man in a dark suit. _In his early forties,_ she estimated. _He looks nice. Trustworthy?_

"And you are?" she replied.

"My name's Mulder," he said and flashed an ID card.

_FBI!_

"Our mutual friend Declan asked me to pick you up." He grinned when she eyed him suspiciously. "He said you are searching for a way off this planet."

"Did he say that?"

"Yes, he did," Mulder replied. "Come on. Let's go somewhere we can talk safely."

Toshiko still did not know what to make of this man, but she was here and it was not as if she had a plethora of possibilities to choose from. So she decided to trust him for now and let him take her suitcase. Then she followed him to his car. He put her baggage into the trunk and opened the passenger door for her. Then they were off down the road.

Torchwood's computer scientist did not know Washington D.C. Actually she had never been to America. She had always wanted to visit, but never made it. So she enjoyed him talking about whatever they were passing as he drove her to their destination. Of course he fell almost silent when they entered less famous areas of Washington. He stopped the car in front of a former warehouse, got out, and walked around the car to open the door for Toshiko. She stepped out of the car and followed him inside the building where Mulder pressed a hidden button.

Toshiko did not see the camera that was directed on them. Having put the same kind of hidden security devices on the tourist office and the Hub she suspected, though, that they were somehow watched or checked otherwise. A hidden door slid open and revealed an elevator.

_Not unlike our base,_ Toshiko smirked inwardly. Mulder entered the lift and Toshiko joined him. She was not really surprised when the elevator went down instead of up.

"Hey, Mulder," a lanky man with blond hair that flooded onto his shoulders greeted when the doors opened again. "Who're you bringing with you?"

"This is Dr. Sato," Mulder told him.

The lanky man looked her up and down suspiciously. Then his blue eyes lit up with recognition and he grinned. "Dr. Sato! Right! I'm Langly. C'mon in!"

He turned on his heels and ambled down a dark corridor. Mulder let her go first as they followed him. He led them into a hall that was stuffed with technology. With the certainty of a sleepwalker he found his way through the maze of shelves and showed his guests to a clearing that was occupied by three workstations. Two other men looked around at them, their features lighting up when they spotted the FBI agent.

"Frohike, Byers," Langly said. "Meet Dr. Toshiko Sato."

"Sato? _The_ Dr. Sato?" the older of the two men panted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Sato. Melvin Frohike." He stretched his hand out towards her, it was warm and clammy and Toshiko had to resist the urge to wipe her palm on her clothes after shaking it. "Never… never ever would I have dreamt about meeting someone from Torchwood. Do you happen to know UNIT's commander, Colonel Mace?"

Toshiko had to fight not to let her jaw drop. _So much about Torchwood being a secret organization,_ she thought.

"Have you ever been on the Valiant?" the younger man who was dressed immaculately into a suit asked anxiously. "Oh, sorry. I'm John Byers."

Mulder chuckled. "Surprised that they know about Torchwood?" he asked, amused. Toshiko nodded. "Don't worry about it. The Lone Gunmen know a lot they're not supposed to know."

"Same as you, _Fox_," Langly teased.

"It's my job to know more than the average human," Mulder pouted with a barely concealed smirk. "About the Cybermen for example."

"Who are you guys?" Toshiko finally gasped.

"He's with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Byers said dryly. "We are freelancers."

"Don't tell me you've never heard of the Lone Gunman," Langly said anxiously. "You know about us, don't you?"

"Actually… no, I don't."

"You've never heard of the Lone Gunman?" Langly was shocked. He reached for something on the desk and pushed some kind of a newspaper in her hand. "Here. Have a look at it."

Toshiko did and when she now saw the logo she thought she actually did see it before… on Owen's desk.

"Conspiracy theories?"

"Yes," Frohike replied proudly.

"Not just conspiracy theories," Byers said. "The most important, secretive, and dangerous conspiracy theories."

"Yeah, we're risking our lives just to talk to you," Langly added.

"Don't go over the top," Mulder chuckled and the Lone Gunmen joined in.

"So who _exactly_ are you, guys?" Toshiko asked, sitting reluctantly down on the office chair Frohike offered her. He seemed a nice enough man, and it was not his fault his palms were sweaty. They were all very pleasant, if a little overenthusiastic and a bit geeky. _My God, is that how the others see me?_ She gave herself a mental shake. She would have time enough to worry about that once she got the others back. Besides, she was not about to risk offending these guys as it seemed that she needed their help.

"We're the voice of the truth," Byers said. "We investigate all the rumours coursing the news and the internet and do our best to uncover the truth. Then we publish it."

"The Lone Gunman is our brain child," Langly threw in.

"The truth is out there, you know," Byers concluded.

"Yeah, I know," Toshiko agreed, trying hard not to be annoyed. "Give me an example."

"Hmmm," Byers said. "You probably are not that familiar with what is going on here, but we had a closer look at the almost-mass-suicides in London on Christmas Day in 2005."

"I see," Toshiko smirked. "What about them?"

"Aliens," Langly cheered. "Pretty ugly aliens, if you ask me."

"What makes you think that?" Toshiko challenged. She was not about to tell them that one of her first assignments for Torchwood was to help the technicians at Canary Wharf fix their mistakes and make operational the weapon that was used to blow the alien ship out of the sky.

"Hey, maybe our Torchwood lady hasn't even seen them herself," Langly said. "Though they were on the BBC. Hmmm… do you want to?"

Before Toshiko could answer he nearly jumped into another chair and started to click through some files on his computer. Then a video appeared on the screen. It showed a, for the human sense of aesthetic, very ugly alien. Its skull consisted of an exoskeleton with many ridges that gave it a wild appearance.

"It took me a while to do the translation," Langly told her, "but I finally worked it out! Listen!"

The image was grainy and flickered. Toshiko could hear the original voice that muttered unknown words in an alien language. Over it Langly had put another audio track with his translation: "People... you are ours. You belong to the Sycorax. We own you. We now own your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or all will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock."

"Why didn't you show that to me?" Mulder asked. "And the Sycorax rock?"

"That's probably meant in the modern sense, they rock," Langly explained.

"Okay, guys!" Toshiko interrupted them. At once the four men's expressions turned sour, but everyone paid attention to her. "Thanks, guys! Now… let's assume I'm impressed." And honestly, she was. She did not know much about Langly's academic background, but to have come up with such an accurate translation on his own, he had to be good. He had only made one critical error, and under other circumstances she would be happy to explain why _all_ should be _they_, but right now, she had more important business to attend to. "Why am I here?"

"Well," Mulder started. "The people in the United Kingdom weren't the only ones who vanished. We have intelligence about more than sixty people missing… and it might be more. So we have a certain interest in finding out what happened."

"You're with the FBI, working the X-files," Toshiko replied, finally revealing that she knew what Mulder was doing for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, searching for aliens. "You should be as well informed as I am."

"Okay," Mulder conceded. "We had confirmed sightings of spaceships in the close vicinity of two reported disappearances. It stands to reason that both incidents are not coincidental."

"Why, and what did you do about it?" Toshiko challenged.

"There was nothing we could do. We're the FBI."

"Yeah, our unfortunate Mulder's hard fate," Byers said wryly. "Knowing but helpless."

"Shut it, Byers!"

Toshiko was beginning to worry that this entire trip had been a big waste of time. "If you can't be of any help… what am I doing here?"

"Well…"

"As he said…"

"Mulder knows stuff," the Lone Gunmen told her.

"As do we," Frohike grinned.

Frustrated Toshiko leaned back in the office chair and crossed her legs as well as her arms. "Then you'd better tell me something useful, and quickly," she told them threateningly. "Because if I find I have come all this way and wasted all this time for nothing, I'm going to make you forget everything you know, all the way back to toilet training. And if you know anything about Torchwood, you know I can do that."

For almost a minute the men stared at her with mixed expressions ranging from incredulity to shock.

"You mean to say Scooter is not just a myth then?" Langly finally gasped.

Toshiko gave him what she hoped was a creepy and enigmatic smile and patted the pocket of her jacket as if she had something concealed there while she secretly wondered what else those geeks knew about. Langly was misinformed about the actual name of the compound, but he still had heard about its existence. It was kind of creepy. "Do you really want to find out?"

"Um… no."

"Nope."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

Smiling softly Mulder shook his head.

"I thought so," Toshiko smirked. "Just tell me why Stoats arranged a meeting between us and not with some government official."

"Well, I think that's because we're in Washington," Mulder told her flatly. "It's not very helpful to go to President Hayes and ask if he can help you… as compared to confronting him with what you want."

Toshiko could not deny that he had a point.

tbc…


	10. Chapter 10

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Sorry that it took me so long to update, but real life got kind of crazy. You know, being a NaNo project the story needed to grow fast at first. Editing the unnecessary stuff out is easier said than done. So I combined chapters to get to the SGC sooner. It should be in the next chapter. Special thanks to my beta _Mandassina_. Enjoy!

**Ch****apter 10**

Time did not seem to exist on the spaceship. Owen had no idea how much time had passed since they had been caught. He sat on the other side of the cell now. Friendship was important for him, but sometimes too much closeness could be oppressive. The men around him were not his problem right now, though.

It was Gwen.

Since she had joined Torchwood they had gone from being purely colleagues to having an affair to finally being close friends. That and the fact that Gwen sometimes simply lacked tact had driven him away from her now.

They had sat leaning against the bars, holding hands, and talking quietly from time to time. The company had been comforting. Gwen frequently had switched from rage to desperation and back. She had made plans to get out first and seemed to be ready to end it herself next. In the end Owen could not stand it anymore and retreated to the far corner of the cage.

Sitting near the wall he could now see that there was a gully running along the wall where the dirt and debris vanished when the Tebr'ox washed out the cages.

_That way they don't need to open the cages to clean up. Throwing in the food they don't have to bother unlocking a door to feed us either._

Owen looked around glumly.

_How did we end up here? We were in the park, chasing the people away from the descending spaceships… and then I don't know anymore. I should, I'm a doctor. Damn! I'm Torchwood! I should've known better! We should've gotten away together with the other people! We knew it could be dangerous!_

"Hey," someone interrupted his musings, prodding his upper arm.

"What?" Owen barked.

"I think your wife wants to talk to you."

"She's _not_ my wife," Owen hissed.

"Okay, okay," the man rushed to say, holding up his hands defensively. "She just gives the impression."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I'm the marrying type?"

"Do I look like I know what that looks like?"

"Well, now… looking at you I'd say you're playing for the other team, but do I say that aloud? No, I don't."

"You just did!" the other man accused.

"Do you want to start a fight?" Owen snarled. "Go ahead. I'm in the mood for it."

"You know what?" the man spat, scrambling to his feet. "That's what I want!"

Owen shot up to his feet as well. "Don't bite off more than you can chew, mate!"

The two men looked daggers at each other.

"Hey, c'mon! Stop it!"

But neither man listened to their cellmate.

"I'm not gay!" the man who appeared to be a bit younger than Owen shouted. "You take that back!"

"The fuck I will!" Owen yelled back.

"Owen!" Gwen piped up, fearing it was too late already.

"I ain't no poof! Take it back!" the man screamed and lunged at Owen which was what the Torchwood agent had waited for. He stepped to the side and intercepted the blow, twisting around and jamming his elbow into the man's gut.

"Owen!"

The male voice thundered through the cargo bay. It was authoritative, used to giving orders.

"Owen, stop!"

And Owen did stop. Recognizing his captain's voice he let go of the man who dropped to the ground, panting.

Everywhere in the cages the people turned to where the voice came from. What they saw was a man in his thirties, dressed in army clothes, including an RAF greatcoat. His posture alone would have been enough to command their respect and his clothes did the rest. All the captives fell silent, waiting if he had something to say to them.

Jack waited, knowing that he had their undivided attention.

"Fighting each other is the last thing we need to do now!" he then said. "Being on this ship we're literally sitting in the same boat! Do we have so little respect for ourselves that we keep fighting our neighbours when we have a mutual enemy to stand up against?"

Murmurs of agreement swept through the cargo bay.

"Owen? Is he all right?" Jack asked.

Throwing a dark look at the man on the floor Owen decided, "Yeah, I think he is!"

"Check on him properly. You're a doctor after all," Gwen scolded.

"Thanks for reminding me, Florence Nightingale," Owen grumbled.

"Stop it, kids!" Jack said. "We need to set a good example."

"I want to see you doing that, Jack!" Owen replied, stepping up to the bars between the other men. "You think you can do that? Can you?"

"We all can, Owen," Jack replied sternly. "First of all I'd like to know where everyone's from. Cause I don't think that we're all from Cardiff, or even Great Britain."

For a moment silence reigned. Then a woman spoke up hesitantly, "I'm from Munich, Germany."

"I'm Sheila from London," another woman added.

"And I'm Alyssa from Cardiff," Alyssa Eldridge told them.

"Veronica, San Francisco!"

"Michael, New Jersey!"

"Here! Me, too! New Jersey!"

"Brandon, San Francisco!"

"Cyrus, London!"

And so they went on. One after the other they named their places of origin. As they did so it became obvious just how many people got abducted after all. It was frightening. Not all of them could speak English while others were bilingual and served as interpreters. A few others just added their town going with the flow. Once they were through uncomfortable silence fell.

"Thank you," Jack said. "It would be helpful to know what you're doing professionally. Why don't we…?"

"Hey!" someone shouted angrily. "Who do you think you are that you assume that you can order us around?"

"Yeah!" another agreed. "Who elected you the boss here?"

"Nobody!" Gwen's voice drowned out the others. "And we don't need to! He has the authority by order of the Crown!"

"Who?"

"The Queen of England!" Gwen replied. She saw Jack glare daggers at her, but she ignored him. "He's the appointed leader of Torchwood."

"Torchwood??

"What the fuck is Torchwood?"

"Who is that clown?"

"Shhh!" someone suddenly hushed. "There's one coming!"

"Sh!"

"Shhhh!"

The people fell silent and some of them stepped back from the bars or sat back down on the floor. A single Tebr'ox came down the aisle. His gaze wandered over the captives as he passed and he snorted at what he saw.

"Something wrong, you ugly git?" a man snapped when his view rested too long on him.

The Tebr'ox's hand went to the baton he wore on his belt and he grunted.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" the man shouted, pounding his hand against the bar. "Who the bloody hell are you? What do you want from us?"

"Gant!" the Tebr'ox barked, banging his baton across the bars so that the other men shied back.

"What do you want?" the man screamed, reaching for the Tebr'ox through the bars.

"Kala!"

But the man, now urged on by his fellow captives shouting encouragements, did not back off. He grabbed at the Tebr'ox and got hold of his shirt.

"Ren!" the Tebr'ox shouted, hitting the man with his fist. Then he brought up his baton and pushed it between the bars, directing it at the recalcitrant prisoner.

"Arghhhh!" the man screamed.

Two more Tebr'ox came running. Under shouts of protest they unlocked the cage's door and one charged inside. He grasped the man's arm and pulled him out on the aisle. There the first guard pushed the baton against his chest again and the man howled with pain.

"Gant!" one of the newcomers barked at the prisoners. "Gant!"

Even though they did not understand what he was ordering them to do they fell silent… with horror. Once again the Tebr'ox hit the man with the baton. It looked like it would discharge on him. The man curled up and screamed. A last time he was hit, then he dropped to the floor.

The Tebr'ox snorted with satisfaction. He gestured one of the others to continue his patrol through the cargo bay, then he bent down to grab the man's right ankle. Uncaring he dragged his fallen prisoner face down along the aisle and out through a heavy metal door at the end.

All the other people were left stunned. No one dared to make a sound as long as the other two Tebr'ox were present. Only when they left as well the human freight had the courage to even breathe again.

One of the men in Jack and Ianto's cage finally found the braveness to speak again, "I… I think he said that they're… they're slave traders."

"Who said that?" one of the few who could hear him asked.

"Said what?" another one further down the aisle demanded to know.

"That those, those creatures are slave traders!"

"Slave…"

The woman's voice gave out. Everyone was shocked now, by what the Tebr'ox had done to the other man as well as the news that they were presumed to be slave traders. The realization that they were going to be sold hit home and terrified silence fell over the cargo bay.

xXx

"Surely he didn't mean that, right?" someone asked hesitantly.

"I think he did," the man who brought it up first answered. "He said it to his boyfriend."

Gwen listened to the slowly starting conversation. It still rang in her ears, _they're slave traders_. She did not want to ask who had said it because she already knew. It had to be Jack. Who else would possibly know? She stood in the corner of her cage, supporting herself on the bars, and watched the cell diagonally across the aisle. Right now she could not see Jack. Maybe Ianto was talking to him.

"Who?" the first one wanted to know.

"Here, the guy with the greatcoat, the Torchwood leader."

"How would he know?"

"What is this Torchwood?"

"Who are you?"

The last question silenced the others. Everyone wanted to hear the big military man's answers. Gwen and Owen waited as curiously as the others. Gwen even more so. Jack had stared at her as if he wanted to kill her when she revealed that he was with Torchwood.

_As if it would make a difference now,_ Gwen thought. _Someone has to get order into the chaos. Who would be better qualified than an immortal time traveller from the future? He doesn't have to tell them about his past to help them and get them organized, but as a former Time Agent he sure has experiences with all kinds of infiltration, escape, and rescue operations._

Anxiously she waited for Jack to reappear from the depth of the cage. What would he do now?

When Jack stepped up to the front bars again he searched for Gwen and she shrank back when his gaze hit her. Ianto stood by his side and he glowered at her as well.

_No surprise there,_ she thought ruefully.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness," Jack declared. "As Constable Gwen Cooper already told you…"

Gwen winced when he called her by her former police rank. _Why doesn't he say that I'm with Torchwood, too?_ But then she remembered that she did the same before when she did not want to mention Torchwood.

"…I'm the leader of Torchwood Cardiff, a secret government organization that was founded to protect the British population from alien threats."

Astonished murmurs followed his words. Jack waited until the people fell silent again before he continued.

"I know that the situation looks bleak…"

"Bleak is an understatement!" Alyssa interrupted him. "Did you see what they did to that man?"

"Yes, I did," Jack replied. "And that's no reason to bury our heads in the sand. It should make us aware, though, not to provoke our captors." He paused. Yes, this time they listened to what he said. "If we all act in concert and combine our respective skills we could overpower our guards and take the ship over. But we all have to work together and we have to be patient. We need to make a plan and we have to do it thoroughly to make it work."

"Do you have any idea where they are taking us?"

"No," Jack had to admit.

"Do you know who they are?"

Taking a deep breath Jack decided to tell them what little he knew. "They call themselves the Tebr'ox. They are a nomadic people."

"How do you know that?" someone challenged.

"I've met them before," Jack said and raised his hand to calm the protests down. "It was a small ship and no one survived…"

"What do you mean?" a man right beside him shouted. "That a UFO crashed in Great Britain? That you knew about them? And you did what, exactly, to prevent this?"

"Nothing!" someone else screamed. "They did nothing! Look at them! They got abducted, too! A hell lot of nothing do they do!"

"We can do something here!" Owen suddenly shouted. "Listen to what Jack has to say! He can help us!"

"He is right," Gwen added. "Jack has helped to save the Earth so many times before. He can help to get us out if you let him!"

A moment of thoughtful silence followed their words.

"What do you want us to do?" Alyssa then asked.

"I ask you to stay calm," Jack said. "Losing our heads won't get us anywhere. Let's see what kind of skills you all possess and then we'll see what we can make out of it."

"Like what?"

"How am I supposed to answer that question if I don't know your professions yet?" Jack told him calmly. "Let's take one step at a time. Alyssa? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a pharmacist," she said.

"Good job," Jack smiled at her. "Alyssa, do you have something to write?"

"Hmm, I don't think so," she replied. "My handbag is gone."

"Does anyone else in your cell have a pen and paper?" Jack wanted to know.

"Do you?" Alyssa asked the other women. "Oh, great. Yes, Jack! I've got something!"

"Good. I want you to write down the names and professions of the other ladies. Ask them if they have any other useful skills, first aid, self defence, martial arts, things like that." He paused a moment. "Your cell is the eighth from the door, so please put an eight down on your notes. When you're finished pass the paper on to Ianto."

"Okay."

"I want you all to do the same," Jack turned to the rest of the prisoners. "Please appoint a speaker for your cell and write everything down. Then give us the notes so we can work with them."

Affirmative murmur filled the cargo bay. That was encouraging.

"Oh, and please let us know if everyone is all right or if anyone is hurt. Anyone with medical training will be helpful as well. Ianto will take it all into consideration."

"Hey," someone suddenly snapped. "Who made your fag your secretary?"

It was a man in cage number nine, right beside Alyssa's, who made the derogatory remark. That he hardly flinched when Jack's death glare hit him spoke in his favour, but his attitude did not.

"Ianto is working for me at Torchwood and is not only an agent but a damn fine analyst as well. Unless someone else has an eidetic memory, then they can quiet down and get on with it. Any further questions?"

No one had questions. They all became rather silent and began to work.

Jack turned to Ianto and pulled him in for a gentle embrace. For a moment they just stood like that.

"Thank you," Ianto suddenly said.

"What for?" Jack asked, confused.

"For doing this," Ianto murmured against Jack's neck. "I really thought you'd want to sit this one out."

Jack sighed. "I still have my doubts if it can work, but making plans will keep them busy and their thoughts focused."

"No time to panic."

"No."

"Good."

Ianto snuggled up to Jack, enjoying the moment they had together before they would get the notes and would be kept busy as well.

xXx

Slowly it dawned on Gwen why Jack had introduced her as police constable. It made her trustworthy and reliable. When she asked if one of the women in their cage had pen and paper she was called _officer_ when they replied. It was obvious that the women credited her with the role of the leader and protector. Just as quickly as she was _Constable_ Cooper again she became speaker of their cage.

Gwen thought about insisting on being called by first name, but using her title seemed to convey a sense of security to the ladies so Gwen accepted it.

She was presented with a small notepad and a pen and she wrote a six on the top of the first page. Then she began to jot down the names and professions of her fellow inmates. It did not take very long. There were five women except for her and four of them were housewives. The fifth worked as kindergarten teacher and had learned first aid, which could be of use later. None of them ever learned self defence or any kind of martial arts. That was if you did not count handling young children as martial arts.

"Do you think Jack already has a plan?" Gwen asked when she passed the paper on to Owen.

"He probably has," Owen replied. "And maybe he hasn't."

"Oh, wow! Don't be so optimistic!" Gwen scolded. "You know Jack won't let us down."

"Do I know that, yeah?" Owen growled, though he managed to keep his voice low.

"What do you mean?"

"Who ran away without a word or message when that Doctor friend of his stopped by?" Owen challenged. "How do we know that he won't run again?"

"He came back, remember?" Gwen snapped. "He went through a year of hell and then he came back. He came back to us. He didn't have to do that."

"Maybe he just was bored."

"Owen, you're an arrogant shit." It took Gwen quite an effort to keep her voice down. "Have you forgotten all the times he has saved us? Like back in the Brecon Beacons? Or from Abaddon?" She became righteously angry and grabbed him by his jacket to pull him against the bars. "You shot him, Owen. You shot him and he forgave you."

"You still believe in him."

"Yes, I do," Gwen hissed. "And you have no reason to doubt him. He has saved your arse more than once."

"Guess he didn't want to break in a new doctor."

Gwen could have slapped him. Only the bars prevented her from hitting him.

"Why don't you just admit that you're scared?" she snapped.

His fist shot forward between the bars and grasped her clothes. Gwen found herself in an iron grip and when she looked at him now Owen's eyes were dark with emotional pain.

"Yes," he snarled through gritted teeth. "I'm scared, Gwen. I'm scared to death. We've been taken prisoners, presumably to be sold like livestock. We're not on Earth anymore. We're in space. We're on a spaceship. Did you think of that, Gwen?"

"Yes, I did," she replied with only a semblance of calm. Inside she was shaking. "And that's why I believe that Jack is our best chance to get out. Don't you think?"

They were caught in a stalemate. What she said was true and Owen knew that.

Jack neither was from their time nor was he from their planet. His home world was the Boeshane Peninsula on a planet far away in the galaxy three thousand years in their future. He had travelled through time and space and seen more than either of them could imagine in their wildest dreams.

Finally Owen let go of Gwen and she released her hold on him.

"Give them the notes," Gwen said. "They've got a job to do."

Owen nodded and turned to forward the papers.

tbc…


	11. Chapter 11

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Oi, thank you for your reviews! I'm glad I could finally get a better grip on Owen. I like him as a character, but I have trouble writing him. So it makes me happy that you didn't just recognize him but even comment on him. Okay, my beta helped, but still…

I still think combining two chapters would make it too long, but I know you're waiting for Toshiko so we'll compromise, ok? I post it as two chapters but I'll let the next one with Tosh follow in three days. All right?

Special thanks to my beta _Mandassina_ as well as to _Kitsa_.

**Ch****apter 11**

"I need a break," Ianto said and let the hand holding the notes sink.

"You don't look so good," Jack worried, feeling Ianto's forehead.

"I'm just tired," Ianto told him. "And hungry."

"Are you cold?" Jack asked, not missing the tremor that passed his Welshman's body.

"Why should I be? It's warm in here."

"That's not an answer to my question," Jack growled good-naturedly.

"I'm cold," Ianto admitted. "Happens when I'm overtired."

He had thought that Jack would start arguing with him, but the captain just sat down beside him and scooted closer. Then he put his arm around Ianto's shoulders and, holding his greatcoat open, he pulled Ianto against his chest, wrapping the coat around him as far as it would go. Ianto's head came to rest on his shoulder.

"Oh, how cute," one of the men muttered.

"Oh, I know! It's our curse. We just can't help it!" Jack lisped in the campiest voice he could muster. "Aren't we just so sweet we make your teeth ache?"

_His name's Rupert,_ Jack remembered. _A butcher, so he knows how to work with knives. And the one who first complained about us being a couple. _Inwardly he snorted. _A couple. Yeah, I guess that's what we are. I kind of like that idea._

Rupert frowned, unsure what to make of them. The others waited to see what would happen next. Jack held the other side of his greatcoat open, grinned, and said invitingly, "There's room for one more if you want to join us."

Rupert's eyes popped wide open. The other men waited in shocked silence, half expecting the burly man to assault the captain. Jack hiked his eyebrows encouragingly and grinned harder.  
Finally, Rupert snorted with laughter. "You're all right, Harkness," he chuckled. "For a queer."  
"Thank you. You're not bad for a butcher, either," Jack told him. "Now, we've been working for quite a while**, **and none of us has had a proper rest since the abduction. Just because you're here alone doesn't give you the right to begrudge the fact that we aren't. I'm sorry you're here without the person you love, but on the other hand, if she's not on this ship, then I'm happy for you."

Rupert nodded, understanding what Jack was saying, but feeling the need to prod the captain to further action. "We need to keep working on our plan," Rupert grumbled. "We don't know how much time we have left. We have to try and get out before they reach their destination… whenever that may be."

"That can take days," Jack replied.

"Or it could take only hours," Rupert said. "Fact is that we don't know. So we should plan our escape as soon as possible."

"I doubt that we'll need less than a few days," Jack said. "There aren't many inhabited planets that close to earth that come into question."

"Oh, really? And you know that how?"

Jack just looked at him, one eye-brow raised and a mysterious smile on his lips.

"Still we shouldn't waste any time," another man cut in. "So we'll be ready when we see an opportunity."

The other men nodded their agreement.

That was when Jack felt Ianto struggle. The stubborn Welshman certainly wanted to continue even though he was dead tired.

"Give us ten minutes," Jack said. "Fifteen, okay? That shouldn't be too much."

Rupert frowned at them, but then he nodded and turned away. Another man shrugged and the other four simply settled back down where they were sitting.

_Good_, Jack thought. He checked on Ianto, and though the young man's eyes were closed, Jack could see tears on his lashes. "Hey, hey," he said softly. "It's all right, Yan."

To Jack's surprise, Ianto slapped him lightly on the chest. "You'll be the death of me yet, you impossible bastard," he whispered, and Jack could hear the strangled laughter in his lover's voice. "That was brilliantly played, Captain, but you do realize that if I had started laughing, that Neanderthal would have torn us limb from limb, don't you?"

"Well, it didn't happen, so don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say," Ianto murmured sleepily. "I don't recover from dismemberment so easily."  
"I would never let that happen," Jack assured him, pulling him even closer to his side. "Now hush and get some rest."

Jack took a moment to study each of the other men in turn. Now that Rupert had backed off, the rest of them seemed to have relaxed a bit, too. He looked down to check on Ianto again and saw that he already was asleep. A small smile played around Jack's lips as he carefully pulled the notes out of Ianto's hand that rested on his thigh.

_There aren't many people with martial arts training or even fighting experience,_ he thought, flipping through the slips of papers. Jack had a vague idea of what they should do, but he had not made a decision yet. _More information would be helpful._

"Can I have a look at that?"

The man standing right beside him was Grant. _What does he do again? He's working for an insurance company, right? He's insurance adjuster._

"Yeah, sure," Jack agreed and held up the bunch of paper.

Grant, though, sat down on Jack's left side. He leaned against the wall and stretched out his legs. Slowly he read through the notes. When he reached the first paper for the second time he turned to Jack and eyed him intently. Then he sat back again.

"You've seen a lot," he murmured.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked back.

"I don't know who you are and where you're coming from, and I don't especially care… because I feel that we can trust you. You have the aura of a man who became wise with the years, Captain Harkness… even though you don't seem to count more than thirty-eight or forty."

"What are you trying to say?"

Grant leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear, "That your eyes are much older than the rest of you seems to be."

Jack smirked. "So?"

"Just stating something I saw," Grant said and sank back against the wall. "So what's the interim plan again?"

"Slowly developing," Jack chuckled. "Why don't you tell me with your own words?"

"I should've known," Grant snorted. "You want to know if you can trust me. You want to see if I have ideas of my own."

Smirking Jack shrugged his left shoulder. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Looking down at the notes Grant said, "There are a few useful people. Still we have to deal with some essential challenges first. Not all of us arrived as recently as you and Ianto. The guards dragged a woman out before. The other women in her cage said that she was diabetic. Without her medication it was only a matter of time until she collapsed. Other people fought against each other, especially about food and water. The fact that we're not getting enough food gives reason for concern. The cages are unhygienic. And some people who have been here longer than you might even be sleep deprived. How am I doing so far?"

Jack nodded affirmatively. "Sounds realistic. Go ahead." Absently he stroked Ianto's stomach.

"First of all, the cages," Grant continued. "It looks like they're opened by some kind of signal."

"I can deal with that," Jack told him without giving him a further explanation.

"How?"

"Not your problem, Grant. Go on."

Grant frowned but accepted that Jack would not elaborate. "Okay. Let's say we get out of the cages… what next? We'd have to get through the door as well." Expectantly he looked at Jack.

"I might be able to solve that as well."

Grant nodded. "So we're out in what I assume will be some kind of a corridor." Cocking his head to the side he eyed Jack curiously as he murmured, too lowly for the others to understand, "Working for Torchwood, dealing with alien threats… have you seen spaceships like this? Or comparable ships? What do you know about them?"

Jack held his gaze without any visible reaction. "Could you first finish explaining your theory?" he asked back.

Grant snorted. "Sure." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke again. "Well, when we get out into the corridor without raising attention… which I don't believe is possible, by the way…" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack shrug again. "Well, when we got out there, we'd have to locate the bridge, right?"

"I'd rather search for another cargo bay with important things like weapons," Jack told him.

"You're right," Grant agreed. "Getting weaponry to defend ourselves should be our first priority. Only then can we overpower the people on the bridge when we get there. On our way up, I assume, we'll have to pass a lot of corridors. Judging by how creative directors depict alien spaceships for their movies as well as using our freight ships or cruise ships as a basis for comparison the cargo bays are deep in the bowels while the bridge is high on top and in the front of the ship."

"That's logical," Jack agreed.

"You said those… how did you call them?"

"Tebr'ox."

"Yeah… those Tebr'ox are nomadic? I would imagine that the crew of a regular spaceship…" Grant trailed off. "What am I saying here? Regular spaceship. That sounds so odd… Anyway, I would guess that there are many less crewmen than prisoners. But does that apply to the ship of a nomadic tribe as well?"

_That's a really good question,_ Jack thought. _I take it insurance adjusters need to have a brilliant mind as well._

"I wouldn't count on it," the captain finally said.

"Now that's encouraging."

"Should I lie to you?"

"Nope." Grant shook his head. "I appreciate your honesty. That makes what you are saying much more believable."

Once more Jack smirked at him. He began to like Grant.

"So we'll have to deal with a large number of crewmen… as well as their families."

"Unless they're travelling in a separate ship… Yeah."

"So we'd have to fight our way as directly as possible to the bridge, take it over, barricade ourselves in there, and then go and capture the Tebr'ox to lock them up down here for a change. If this is only one ship in a caravan, we may need to do all of that while defending ourselves against a whole fleet of their kinsmen."

"Sounds like a plan," Jack nodded.

"Yeah."

A metallic clank made them prick their ears.

"What was that?"

Several similar noises raised the curiosity of the captives. They also woke Ianto who stretched and then got up. Jack got to his feet as well.

"We've heard that before," Alyssa from the cage across the aisle told the others. "There was a long while of silence and then similar sounds. Then they brought new prisoners in."

"What could it be, Jack?" Owen demanded to know. "Any idea?"

"Could be the smaller scout ships they used to enter the atmosphere and capture their victims," Jack suggested. "I think that's the most logical explanation."

"So does that mean that they're out to abduct more people?" Alyssa wanted to know.

"Do you think we're still in Earth's orbit?"

Now that was a loaded question. Jack thought about how to answer it. The others probably did not notice the subtle changes in the hum that flowed through the ship like a giant creature's lifeblood. Jack, though, remembered it from a life he led long ago, a life lived among the stars. He was used to the sounds of spaceships and he was convinced that they had been in hyperspace. That the Tebr'ox left with the small ships now led Jack to the assumption that they were on the prowl on another planet. That they were fighting was another possibility that he did not want to take into consideration.

"I don't think that we're still close to Earth," Jack finally said.

Astonished and anxious murmurs echoed through the cargo bay.

Jack took a deep breath. As he had said to Grant, there was no reason to lie to them. They had to know what they were facing once they were ready to attempt an escape. They had to know that they were far away from home and that it would be quite difficult to get back.

_Or maybe we won't get back at all,_ Jack thought. _By now they certainly are aware of the possibility that there is no __escape__, that we might never get home__. No one likes that idea, but __the bitter truth is undeniable__. There's no guarantee that our plan will work._

He felt two hands coming to rest on his upper arms. Then Ianto put his chin on his shoulder from behind. Jack smiled. He liked the young Welshman's need for physical closeness. He just wished it would take place anywhere else but on this spaceship.

"You're brooding."

"I'm thinking, Yan. That's what I'm doing. I'm thinking about our escape plan."

"Take a break, too, Jack," Ianto prodded, gently pulling on his arms. "Come on, let's sit down again."

"Maybe this is our chance," Rupert interrupted them. "You two can cuddle when we've taken over the ship."

"Captain, could that be true?" another man called Gareth wanted to know. "If you're right and a number of those… creatures left the ship, wouldn't that be the right moment to try and escape?"

"It also means that they are more alert," Jack told them. "In my opinion the chances of success are higher when we're in hyperspace."

"But what he has said sounds good," Rupert argued. "The less of them are out there the better."

"We don't really have a plan yet," Grant threw in. "I think we should wait until we're better organized before we try and attack the Tebr'ox."

Even through the erupting discussion Jack heard Ianto sigh behind him.

"Jack?"

"Hm?"

"I wonder what Tosh is doing right now."

"Working on a rescue plan, I hope," Jack murmured just loud enough for Ianto to hear.

tbc…


	12. Chapter 12

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate. I just thank their creators for

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Thank you NikkieSheepie for your review! Thanks for the story favs, too. All the others don't like Jack anymore, huh? LOL Waiting for Toshiko and what she's going to do… Alright, I promised, so here's the next chapter. Please let me know what you think. Concrit is always appreciated. Thanks. ;) Enjoy!

Special thanks to my beta _Mandassina_ as well as to _Kitsa_.

**Ch****apter 12**

Toshiko hoped and prayed that what she was going to do would actually be helpful. She wanted just one thing, a way to follow the Tebr'ox and free as many people as possible, preferably her team mates.

Meeting Mulder and the Lone Gunmen had been very weird. Frohike constantly hit on her. Langly could not stop praising her computer skills. Byers provided her with all kinds of conspiracy theories without being asked. They made her feel rather like a rock star surrounded by groupies. At least Mulder attempted to remain the professional he was supposed to be.

Secretly Toshiko thought that he was the one who had the most screws loose. If possible he was even more paranoid than the conspiracy trio and was still working for one of the most powerful American agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was known to keep its secrets. That had started with J. Edgar Hoover and did not end when the famous FBI boss died. The agency was intransparent and Toshiko knew that UNIT did not trust the Bureau.

The Lone Gunmen said that Mulder was seen as a rogue agent by his bosses, moved to work the X-files to get him out of their hair. In the end he caused an even bigger stir there than before.

After getting valuable information from the Lone Gunmen Toshiko had called Rhys to see if Archie had arrived, if everything was all right, and get some reassurance that she was doing the right thing before she made other calls. She had talked with the Queen and a UNIT general, and finally got approval for her plan by President Hayes.

Now she was about to meet the people who hopefully were able to help her find the abductees.

Even now, after learning about one of if not _the_ most secret operation of the United States Air Force, Toshiko had no real idea about how they were supposed to find the Tebr'ox and bring the kidnapped people back.

A driver had picked her up at the airport and now steered the limousine to the guarded entrance of the top-secret military base of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A soldier checked on them and let them pass. The car drove into a tunnel where it stopped on a marked parking space and another soldier opened the door for Toshiko. She got out and followed the soldier inside of the complex. There he showed her to a simple room with only a table and two chairs and asked her to wait a moment.

Toshiko did not have to wait long until a man in uniform came in. His hair was so short cropped that he appeared almost bald. Vivid brown eyes scanned her quickly.

"Dr. Sato," he greeted. "Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain Complex."

"Thank you…"

"Chief Master Sergeant Harriman, Ma'am."

"Well, thank you, Sergeant. When can I see General O'Neill?"

"As soon as you have signed this confidentiality agreement," Harriman said and placed the folder he held on the tabletop. "Just a formality, Ma'am."

Toshiko nodded and signed where Harriman pointed to.

"Thank you, Ma'am. If you will follow me."

Harriman held the door open for her, slipped past her, and went ahead down the corridor deeper under Cheyenne Mountain. With his key-card he opened a door and at the end of the next hall an elevator. He let Toshiko enter the carriage first, stepped in and pressed a button on a long row of buttons. They were going down, far down.

"Welcome to Stargate Command," Harriman said when the doors slid open.

"Oh, now it's Stargate Command instead of Cheyenne Mountain Complex?" Toshiko teased.

"Yes, now that you've signed the confidentiality agreement," the sergeant confirmed. "We usually just refer to it as the SGC."

"I see." Toshiko offered him a sincere smile before she once more followed him through a veritable maze of corridors. They stopped in front of just another of many doors and Harriman knocked.

"Yes. Come in!" a male voice carried through the wood.

His hand on the handle Harriman made two steps in, saying, "Sir, Dr. Sato is here now."

"Show her in," the general said. "Thank you, Walter."

"Sir."

Gesturing at Toshiko to go inside he stepped back out on the corridor and when the Torchwood operative was in the office he closed the door behind her.

"Have a seat, please, Dr. Sato," General O'Neill offered with a gesture toward the chair in front of his desk. He was busy signing some papers and hardly looked up at her.

So Toshiko went to the desk and sat down in the offered chair.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Sato, but I need to finish this."

"No problem, General," she said. "Nobody likes to be interrupted in his train of thought."

He nodded absently.

His light brown hair had begun to turn grey. He was not in full uniform but wore a black t-shirt and a green drill shirt with the Stargate emblem and rank insignias. With a big gesture that twisted Toshiko's heart because it was so similar to one of Jack's mannerisms, he waved his signature at the bottom of the last page, shuffled everything together, and closed the folder to put it into the outbox.

"Thank you for your understanding, Dr. Sato," the general said when he now sat back in his office chair. "I was told that you have a rather unusual request?"

"Oh? Someone told you that, General O'Neill?" Toshiko replied, cocking her head to the side.

"Yeah, when I was asked to meet you," O'Neill told her matter of factly, though with a spur of amusement lacing his voice. He scooted forward with the chair and rested his folded hands on the tabletop. Eyeing her with a strange mix of amusement and suspicion he asked, "What organization are you with again?"

"Torchwood," Toshiko told him.

"Excuse my gap in education, but… what is Torchwood?"

"We're a secret organization founded by the British Crown in 1879, guarding a Rift in time and space that runs through Cardiff," Toshiko answered him as simply as possible.

O'Neill blinked a few times with incredulity. "A Rift?"

"Yes."

"In time and space."

"Yes."

He harrumphed. "You're making fun of me."

"Believe me," Toshiko smirked. "A huge metal ring that serves as portal to other worlds doesn't sound any more credible."

"True," O'Neill chuckled. "And what are you doing at Torchwood, Dr. Sato?"

"I'm the technical expert of Torchwood Three and work with computers and alien tech."

"That sounds interesting," O'Neill smirked. "And what leads you here?"

Taking a deep breath Toshiko searched for the right tone to tell her story with. This was important. Once more she breathed deeply, exhaling slowly, and began to talk.

xXx

"Oh, c'mon!" Colonel John Sheppard shouted. "You're not gonna let him win, are you?"

His words were directed at his friend and team mate Ronon Dex who sparred with Teal'c and was currently held in a headlock by the Jaffa warrior who served in SG-1. The metal quarterstaff of Teal'c's staff weapon pressing on his throat Ronon struggled to break out of the hold.

Ronon had his hands wrapped around the staff and tried to lift Teal'c off his feet and throw him over his head, but he could not bend forward as he was unable to shift both their balance points. Teal'c held him in an iron grip that did not seem to offer any way out.

That was unacceptable for Ronon.

Groping blindly backwards he searched for another hold and wrapped his hand around the back of the Jaffa's neck. That way Teal'c's balance point changed and before he even knew what happened he soared over the Satedan's head. Seeing the mats rapidly approach Teal'c curled up and rolled over his shoulder, jumping to his feet and spinning around to intercept Ronon's attack.

"Yeah! Go, Ronon!" Sheppard cheered.

Caught in the intensity of their training fight Ronon bared his teeth as he followed Teal'c and grabbed for the staff weapon in order to disarm him. Spinning around he almost managed to twist the weapon out of the Jaffa's hands.

"Ronon, look out!" Sheppard yelled.

Ronon did look out, but that could not prevent him from being sent flying by Teal'c. The Jaffa warrior followed and nailed the Satedan to the floor. Swinging around his staff weapon he directed the almond-shaped head at Ronon and the end split open to fire its powerful energy blast.

"Ronon!" Sheppard screamed.

Of course it was only a training weapon that would not discharge. Still, in the course of the fight it appeared as a real threat. Adrenalin shot through Ronon's veins. Pulling up his right leg he kicked the weapon away. Another kick thumped into Teal'c's abdomen. The Jaffa tumbled back and at once the Satedan was back on his feet.

"Yes!" Sheppard shouted. "C'mon, Ronon! You got him!"

Ronon remained unimpressed by the Colonel's cheers. He wanted to win because his honour did not allow him to lose. When he now lunged at Teal'c the Jaffa grabbed a handful of Ronon's long thick hair that he wore in wild braids. Caught like that Ronon had to come up with a good trick to free himself. He managed to take a hold on the Jaffa's neck.

So the men fought for the upper hand.

They were still trapped in that stalemate when Walter Harriman appeared under the doorframe.

"Teal'c," the technician shouted. "General O'Neill wants to see you. There'll be a meeting in twenty."

Still both men were fighting with each other, neither of them prepared to let the other go.

"This might take a while," Sheppard remarked wryly.

"It can't," Harriman said. "Call it a draw, Teal'c. This meeting is important."

"Why?" Teal'c demanded to know without loosening his grip on Ronon.

"It's about a mission. General O'Neill is talking with an agent from a UK agency right now. Seems to be a big deal. Colonel Carter already is on her way."

"Sounds interesting," Ronon grunted. "Can we join in?"

"Yeah. Who needs home leave?" Sheppard agreed. "Why don't you let go of him so we can check it out, Teal'c?"

"Only if he will let go of me, John Sheppard."

"Ronon! Let go of him!"

"No."

"Ronon," Sheppard insisted, "it's a draw. Let go of him. That's an order."

Reluctantly Ronon released the Jaffa and Teal'c stepped back from Ronon.

"It's not a draw," Ronon growled at Teal'c. "I would have defeated you if he wouldn't have ordered me to stop."

"There is no reason to assume that you would have gotten the upper hand," Teal'c replied calmly.

"Do us all a favour and try not to continue the fight verbally," Sheppard groaned.

"Is that an order?" Ronon challenged.

"If that's what it takes," Sheppard grumbled.

"Then I'll wait for a better time to let my actions speak for themselves," Ronon promised.

"And I shall wait until then to prove that your claim of victory is false," Teal'c assured the Satedan warrior with a confident smile.

"Ok. Thank you both." Clapping his hands together Sheppard smirked enthusiastically. "Now let's see what that mission is about."

tbc…


	13. Chapter 13

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I own neither Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

**Ch****apter 13**

"And I tell you, we should act now! None of them will expect an attack, least of all now!" Rupert shouted. "There won't be many of them aboard right now! It's the best opportunity!"

"You should think about it twice," Grant replied. "We don't have any kind of plan. Acting on the spur of the moment could ruin everything."

"He's right," Jack tried to support Grant. "We have no idea what's waiting for us outside of this cargo hold. We should at least know what we are doing. We should know who we can count on in a fight and what skills the others can contribute if we do manage to take over the ship!"

"That's true!" Owen shouted. "I've been in a log of fights with Jack! He knows what he's doing! Listen to what he has to say!"

"But Rupert's right!" someone screamed hysterically. "The sooner we get out of here the better! I say, let's try it now!"

Most people were standing at the front bars now, shouting and gesticulating at each other. It was difficult for anyone to make one's voice heard.

"Wait!" Gwen snapped. "Wait! Calm down! Let's talk this over like civilized people!"

Ianto chuckled as he heard her complain. When Jack looked around at his young Welshman he saw him smirk.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"That's so typical of Gwen," Ianto said. "Always searching for the good in people."

"Is that a bad thing?" Jack wanted to know.

"Not necessarily," Ianto said. "I just mean that it's so much like her."

"It's one of the reasons I hired her."

Ianto smiled warmly at his lover. "I know. I wouldn't want her to be any other way."

Realizing that the noise really died down Jack turned back to the aisle. Ianto stepped beside him, taking his hand. A small smile played around Jack's lips. It was right, he was the man from the future, the one man who was supposed to be strong for all of them, be the hero Gwen saw in him, and lead them to freedom. Jack knew that his background predestined him for that job.

That did not change the fact that he was scared.

He was not scared for his own life. Jack had lived far too long and through too many dangers and deaths to be afraid. Pain was something he feared, but the fear of pain alone was not enough to make him sit back and do nothing.

No, he was scared for all the other people, first of all for his team. If they acted rashly, people would get hurt… maybe even killed. He could not let that happen.

Feeling Ianto's hand hold his own, squeezing softly, reassured Jack. Ianto trusted him. Knowing that warmed Jack's heart and gave him the strength to face the desperate crowd now.

"Thank you for calming down!" Jack said. "What Rupert said is essentially right…"

The loud murmur of renewed discussion cut him short. The captives all were agitated. Jack could not begrudge them that.

"Silence, please!" Grant shouted. "Please let Jack finish his thought!"

Thankfully his words made the others pull themselves together. They still were not completely silent, but Jack could at least make himself heard.

"Okay, what Rupert said is not wrong," Jack started again. "I just don't think we have to seize the first opportunity that presents itself!"

Squeezing Ianto's hand he searched for renewed reassurance. Ianto squeezed back and felt him let go then. He could not be angry, though. It just did not fit with the image of their brave hero if he held hands with his lover.

"What Grant said is true!" Jack continued. "We shouldn't attack blindly without knowing what we're doing! We need a basic plan and a backup plan in case something goes wrong."

With quiet relief Jack saw quite a lot people nod approvingly. _They will listen. That's encouraging. We're making progress._

Rupert, though, was having none of it.

"Do you hear him?" he shouted. "Aren't those the words of a coward? Why does he want to keep us from acting? Because he isn't the one who initiated it?" Challengingly he looked around, spurring the crowd on with powerful gestures along with his shouts. "No! Because he's scared! That's why!"

"Scared?" Jack laughed out loud. "You have no idea yet what fear really is, pal."

"I know what fear is!" Rupert shouted back, turning to face Jack, only to find him merely one step in front of him. When Jack leaned slightly forward, getting into Rupert's personal space, Rupert had to fight not to flinch back. Jack did not say anything. He did not need to. The pale blue eyes pierced the other man like swords. His calm determination was more terrifying than any words he could have shouted to command respect. In that second the butcher realized that the captain was dangerous.

"You feel it now, don't you?" Jack murmured so softly that no one but Rupert and Ianto, who stood close enough, could hear him. "You feel the prickle on the back of your neck crawl down your spine. Ants are scuttling in your stomach and from there into all your limbs. They're crawling up your chest into your throat, choking you from inside."

Rupert's breaths wheezed in and out audibly. His fear, sparked by Jack's unrelenting gaze, sparkled in his eyes.

Ianto watched the standoff with a strange mixture of pride and fear. He could not help but feel intimidated by his lover as well. Seeing Jack like this reminded him of what his captain had told him in the privacy of his bedroom. Tales of a life from a long time ago in the future. In this former life Jack had been a soldier. He had been an interrogator. He had been a torturer. He had been a different man. Now he was Captain Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood. As that Ianto respected and loved Jack with all of his heart.

"Anything you want to say?" Jack snarled.

Rupert ducked and made a step back, shaking his head.

"I didn't think so." Jack smirked. Then he directed his attention back to the crowd. "Now, I don't want to scare anyone more than necessary…"

His choice of words made the anxiety of the other prisoners return. They were talking excitedly over each other and Jack had to raise his voice to make himself understood.

"But we have to face the bitter truth," Jack told them. "Once we accept it, it won't have as much power over us as it has now! I know that you all are frightened! There's no shame in being scared."

Consenting murmur swept through the cargo bay.

"We're all facing an uncertain future. Nothing is like it was before. We're on a spaceship! The people who abducted us are slave hunters! They're going to sell us…"

Once more Jack was interrupted by anxious shouts and cries. Between the hysterical voices he could hear Gwen who did her best to calm the other women down. That was easier said than done.

"Silence, please!" Jack said, deliberately keeping his voice down. If they wanted to know what he was saying they had to calm down and pay attention.

"Thank you," Jack smiled at the others when the murmur ebbed away enough to talk again. "Now that we have confronted our fear we can face it! Now we can make a plan! We can determine who will be in the strike group, who'll stay in the middle, and who'll protect the rear."

"Don't we have to get out of these cages somehow first?" Alyssa threw in.

"Yes, but there's a way to achieve that," Jack told her. "When the time's come we'll be ready to act."

"How do you plan to open the cells?" Grant asked. "There are no locks to pick. It must be something electronic."

"Yes. The guards wear a device that they can activate the locks with," Jack explained. "Getting a key is our first priority."

"And how are we gonna get a key?" Gwen wanted to know. "The guards stayed well away from us!"

"Yeah! They didn't get close!"

"Oh, God! We'll be sold! We'll die on another planet!"

"What if whatever we do goes wrong?" someone shouted. "They'll kill us!"

"They won't kill us!" Jack yelled. Inwardly he rolled his eyes. This was bloody hard work. Behind him he sensed Ianto, one hand resting on his shoulder, and he was grateful. "We're their capital! They won't risk losing that!"

"As if they'd care!" a woman screamed hysterically. "Did you see what they did to that man? He looked pretty much dead when they dragged him out!"

Other excited comments followed her outbreak. So nobody noticed at first that the door opened and Tebr'ox came into the cargo bay. They carried in new prisoners that hung unconsciously down their shoulders. One was hauled in like the man who was removed earlier.

"Gant!" the first one shouted. "Gant!"

Ianto tried to pull Jack back from the bars. "Do you happen to know what that means?" he asked, his voice slightly wavering.

_He's scared,_ Jack realized. _Who wouldn't be._ Making a step back he fixated on his lover, taking him by the shoulders and steadying him. "I assume they want us to shut up," he said. "It's logical, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ianto murmured.

"Shhh." Soothingly Jack brushed his hand over Ianto's dark hair.

Suddenly they heard another scream.

A scream of rage.

It was a high female voice that echoed back from the metal walls as one of the new captives twisted out of the Tebr'ox's hold and attacked him.

"Kree!" another woman shouted.

All captives rushed to the bars to watch the ensuing fight. The women tackled the Tebr'ox. One was battling her opponent in close combat.

The females looked basically human. They wore leather clothes, some armoured with metal parts. Except for one woman they all had dark hair. The other had a long blonde mane. What they all had in common was a black tattoo on their foreheads.

"Kree!" one yelled again.

Suddenly two cage doors clicked open. Then a third one unlocked. For a moment nothing happened, but then the men and women surged out of the cages and onto their captors.

A Tebr'ox cried out with alarm when he fell. At once a bunch of people were on him, holding him down, choking him. Two others abandoned their prisoners and jumped forward to help their fallen companion.

"That's our chance!" Grant yelled. "Jack! We've got to help them!"

Jack still had his doubts that they could make it, but he had to admit that Grant was right. This could be their chance. Now he had to trust the others.

"Jack!" Owen screamed.

"Ianto," Jack turned to his lover.

The Welshman understood and took a position in front of Jack, preventing anyone from seeing the captain who was fiddling with his wrist strap. In a matter of seconds the other doors were unlocked and the captives pushed forward into the aisle.

The three Tebr'ox were taken by surprise.

"Kar'yn!" one of the women yelled in alarm. It was the blonde one who slowly got up from where the Tebr'ox had dropped her.

Kar'yn spun around and ducked to evade the blow that was aimed at her. She punched the man hard into his middle, winding him.

"Ginra! Kree!" Kar'yn yelled.

Her fellow Amazon let herself fall and rolled aside, just in time to avoid being hit by one of the Tebr'ox batons. The guard grunted and aimed at her again. This time his baton grew on both ends, changing its form to a staff. He hit her and then aimed at her with the staff weapon, ready to shoot.

That was the last scene Jack could clearly see before the aisle was filled with people who tried to get a hold on their captors and beat them down. It was a tangle like on an ant hill, only that the ants were better organized.

_Who are they,_ Jack wondered as he tried to get to Kar'yn. _They're good fighters. What's their home planet?_

He could not reach her because the confused and panicked people scuttled through the aisle in a blind fight.

"Ishta!" Kar'yn shouted.

Jack saw the Tebr'ox direct his baton at her. "Look out!" he yelled, hoping that it would alarm her.

Then, suddenly, a blinding headache overcame Jack. He groaned and broke down to his knees. Around him more fighters dropped to the ground, gasping and moaning. A sudden pain flashed through Jack's skull, knocking him out.

All the other humans also lay on the ground, unconscious, the Tebr'ox towering over their captives. One of them put a strange looking item back on his belt, smirking a rather alien smirk. Then they began to push the prisoners back into their cages.

tbc…


	14. Chapter 14

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I own neither Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Hey! Sorry for the long wait, but real life… you know how it can be. Special thanks to my beta _Mandassina,_ you're a peach. Enjoy!

**Ch****apter 14**

Toshiko had to force herself not to twirl her hair around her finger nervously. General O'Neill had shown her to the board room that was right next to his office and asked her to wait there, so she had been able to take a short break to collect her thoughts. She was under the impression that General O'Neill needed the moment alone in his office as much as she did.

_What happens now?_ she wondered. _The General didn't give away what he was thinking. There'll be a meeting. Okay. But what next?_

She believed that the meeting with the team leaders would decide their course of action. And there would be a course of action. As President Hayes, as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, had supported her idea it was more than likely that the Air Force would go along with her suggestions… unless the team had a better idea.

_Where are __my teammates__ now? How are they?_

The uncertainty ate away at Toshiko. She missed her friends.

Leaning back against the high backrest of the office chair she granted herself a few minutes' rest. When she closed her eyes, though, she was back on the beach, hearing Jack's shouts and seeing the flash of light. She did not even see them go down. She was running and when she turned back to them they were gone.

_Where did they take you? Are you all right?_

Even after everything she had seen and done since she joined Torchwood she found it difficult to imagine where her teammates could be. There had to be a big ship of course. The Tebr'ox would not just put them into a cabin on board that much was clear as well. They had taken several hundred humans from all over the world and had to have somewhere on their ship to keep them locked up.

_I guess it's comparable to a prison facility,_ she imagined. It hurt her to envisage her beloved friends behind locked doors. _Are they being treated well? Do they have enough to eat? Can they sleep?_

Before she could work herself into a hopeless state she was startled out of her musings by the arrival of two soldiers. Toshiko looked up. She did not know them. They nodded a greeting at her when they sat down at the table. Toshiko could not help but stare at first when another man came in. His skin was a dark milk chocolate brown. Short black hair curled on his head. What fascinated Toshiko was a golden tattoo on his forehead that was one of his most prominent features. It was an oval with a waved line in the centre that reminded her of a snake. Having read that the Stargate was first discovered and unearthed at Giza, Toshiko suspected that the tattoo might have something to do with Egyptian mythology.

Right after the man with the golden tattoo a guy with sand coloured hair entered the room hurriedly, crossed the distance to the table while juggling with some books he carried, and dropped his load on the tabletop. He tried to return order to the books before looking around, hectically. Spotting Toshiko he said with a nod, "Dr. Daniel Jackson."

"Dr. Toshiko Sato," she replied and responded to his polite and somewhat nervous smile.

He looked around when another person stepped through the doorway and came over to him.

"Hey, Sam," he greeted her. "How are things going on Atlantis?"

"We're fine, Daniel," she assured him. "Thank you."

"You know why we're here?"

"Not yet, no," the blonde woman replied.

_She's wearing a uniform,_ Toshiko thought, _so she holds a military rank as well. Jackson is a __civilian. I remember that he deciphered the workings of the Stargate._

"Stop thanking me, or I'll uninvite you both," General O'Neill argued with two men who followed him inside. "Sit down! Before I change my mind!"

He stopped at the head of the table but did not sit down yet, waiting for the other two to find a place.

Toshiko eyed them intently. The one who had argued with O'Neill was good looking, dark-haired, average. The other man wore strange clothes and hidden weapons if she was not mistaken. His dark brown hair flooded down on his shoulders in finger thick braids.

"Okay, now that we're all here," General O'Neill started, "let me tell you why I called this meeting."

"Good idea, sir," one of the soldiers said, smirking. They all knew that riding a desk still was new to O'Neill.

"First let me introduce…"

"Dr. Toshiko Sato!" Dr. Jackson interrupted as if he had just had an epiphany. "I knew I recognized you!"

"Daniel," General O'Neill tried to cut in gently.

"I read your article last year on the application of advanced heuristics in computer-assisted translation of non-orthographic writing systems," the academic babbled on. "That was brilliant work!"

"Daniel." The General's voice was a little firmer this time.

"The way you extrapolated from Japanese kanji to other character-based writing and different glyph-writing systems absolutely blew me away. You made it seem almost simple. I've been wanting to ask you, have you found a way to get your program to account for idiomatic expressions and concepts that don't exist in…"

"Daniel!"  
"What?"  
This time the general just rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Daniel apologized meekly. Looking at Toshiko, he said, "I hope we get a chance to talk later." Turning to the general, he smiled and asked, "You were saying?"

"I was saying," the general finally continued sarcastically, "Dr. Sato is a technician and computer expert with the Torchwood Institute…" He looked at her as if asking for reassurance that he got it right and Toshiko nodded. "She is here because her Cardiff branch discovered an alien threat that has to be investigated and what, if any, actions need to be taken. Dr. Sato, if you would please explain to us what you discovered?"

"With all due respect, sir, maybe we should first introduce ourselves?" the woman in uniform rushed to say. She nodded at Toshiko. "Colonel Samantha Carter, head of the Atlantis expedition."

"Teal'c of Chulak," the Jaffa simply said.

"Daniel Jackson," the Egyptologist repeated his earlier introduction.

"Major Griff, leader of SG-2," the soldier who had teased O'Neill said.

"Major Evan Lorne, leader of SG-11," the man sitting beside him said flatly.

"Colonel John Sheppard, commander of the Atlantis military contingent," the soldier who came in with General O'Neill introduced himself.

"Ronon Dex of Sateda," the man with the dreadlocks said.

Toshiko looked at each of them again, this time with wonder. Some of the names sounded rather exotic. Before she could ask anything, though, General O'Neill chimed in.

"I'm sure you're burning with questions, Dr. Sato," he said, "but let's hear why you're here first."

"Okay," she murmured and tried to find the right way to tell her tale. This time she was even more nervous because she knew nothing about those people except their names. They all knew about the existence of aliens, though, even travels to distant worlds. They should be open minded enough not to dismiss her request out of hand.

"Well, two days ago our team registered emissions of alien origin above Cardiff and went out to investigate. At first there was nothing to see, but then ships uncloaked. I have to admit that I was unable to track how they got down on the beach, but they attacked us. Two members of our team were taken there, and later I discovered two others were taken at the park, defending the people there.

"When I returned to our base I found out that more people were missing and when a UNIT contact helped me to get in touch with American intelligence I learned that we're talking about hundreds of abducted humans."

"You mean to say that those aliens were not only in Cardiff but also on other continents, taking people?" Daniel Jackson threw in.

"Yes."

"About how many people are we talking?" Col. Carter wanted to know.

"We can't tell for sure right now, but several hundreds went missing during the last week," Toshiko explained. "The reports went along with reports of UFO sightings."

"It is unlike the Goa'uld to abduct single individuals," Teal'c said. "They prefer to subdue and enslave the entire planet."

"We're not talking about Goa'uld," Gen. O'Neill replied in Toshiko's stead. "What did you call them?"

"With the help of our database I could identify the invaders as Tebr'ox," Toshiko told him.

"And who are these Tebr'ox?" Daniel asked.

"If I got it right they are space nomads."

Silence met Toshiko's statement. While O'Neill watched his co-workers Daniel just stared at Toshiko with astonishment. Carter was scribbling on her notepad. The others were just plain stunned.

"That means they could be anywhere," Ronon Dex finally stated.

"Anywhere on their way to a slave market," Toshiko said.

"A needle in a haystack," Sheppard remarked.

"Slave market?" Major Griff queried. "You really think they want to sell them?"

"Some branches of their tribe are said to be slave traders," Toshiko explained. "Taking that into consideration, what else would they need humans for?"

"Sounds logical," Sheppard shrugged.

"Indeed."

"And you came here why?" Major Lorne asked.

Toshiko swallowed dryly. "To ask your help finding them."

Once more silence fell over the board room. This time it was not surprise that rendered them silent but confusion, about if or how they could be any help.

"Please don't get me wrong, Dr. Sato," Major Lorne spoke up. "I can imagine that your colleagues are important to you, so I won't diminish your loss, but does it justify such a big operation?"

"You didn't listen, Lorne," Griff said. "There are several hundred people missing. Do you want to abandon them to their fates?"

"I didn't say that," Lorne defended himself. "But… space nomads? How do you expect to find them?"

"By finding that slave market," Daniel cut in.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. I have an idea how to find it," the archaeologist confirmed.

"Great!" O'Neill cheered wryly. "Enlighten us."

"We'll have to find Vala," Daniel told him.

"Vala?" Carter echoed, surprised. "That will be just as difficult. And even if we can find her, what makes you think she would help us? She stole our ship after all. She took you hostage."

"And shot me," Daniel added sourly. "But she's a con artist. If someone knows where you can find that market it's her."

"And how do we find her?"

"She'd find us," Daniel shrugged. "Leak the information that there's naquadah to steal and she'll show up in no time."

"That's your plan?" O'Neill gasped. "Next idea, please."

"We could contact Thor and Selmak and see if they know the Tebr'ox," Carter suggested.

"I don't think that Bra'tak or Ishta know about the slave market," Teal'c said. "The Goa'uld would never tolerate something like that on their territory."

"True," Daniel agreed.

Toshiko followed the discussion with wonder. From the file the Lone Gunmen had given her she knew that the Stargate Command had achieved interstellar travel with the help of the ancient device called Stargate that was discovered near Giza. What she did not know was how exactly it worked and how extensively it was used. Of course the Air Force kept any information about it under wraps so that most of what the Lone Gunmen had were rumours and educated guesses.

Now Toshiko realized that the organization had to be much bigger, the connections much wider spread, than she had thought. Griff and Lorne had introduced themselves as leaders of SG-2 and SG-11. If those were the designations of their teams then Stargate Command was much busier than Toshiko had imagined. The names the officers used were all unfamiliar to her, but she did realize that _Chulak_ was not a place on Earth. It had to be another planet. The same certainly applied to _Sateda_. Who were the _Goa'uld_? And what did they mean when they talked about _Atlantis_?

"I really think that finding Vala is our best option right now," Toshiko heard Daniel say.

"And I really think that's a bad idea, Daniel," O'Neill told him for the umpteenth time. "Carter! How about some support here?"

"Sir, you may not like it, but I think that Daniel's idea is promising. We should take it into consideration if our allies can't tell us more about the Tebr'ox."

"Actually I meant that you should support _me_," O'Neill as good as pouted.

Toshiko was surprised by the seemingly informal way of the general handling the meeting.

"Sorry, sir," Carter said. "But I actually see finding Vala Mal Doran as an option should we run out of other ideas."

All of a sudden a red light beside the door started to flash and an alarm blared. Toshiko looked at surprised faces around her and then O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel were the first to storm out of the board room, called away by the announcement, "Unscheduled off-world activation!"

tbc…


	15. Chapter 15

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Hey! Thanks for being so patient. I'm afraid that I'll be away for a while so you'll have to be patient once more. I'll be back with ch16 as soon as possible. Enjoy!

**Ch****apter 15**

"Jack! Thank God!"

Ianto's anxious voice greeted the captain when he came to again. Sometimes it was confusing to wake up. There were moments when he did not know if he had been unconscious or if he resurrected. This time it seemed to be the former. What had happened?

"Yan." Opening his eyes took an effort so he did not even try to move.

"Jack? Are you all right?" Ianto asked fearfully.

"I think so," he groaned.

"You don't look it," Ianto said meekly. "You were out much longer than the others."

"Really?" Jack moaned. He felt as if his head was bursting. Still he realized that it was not normal for him to be worse affected by whatever the Tebr'ox did than the others.

"At least we're still locked up together," Ianto sighed, ruffling Jack's hair.

"Grant still here?"

"Yeah, I'm here," the other man confirmed. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I was run over by a bus," Jack groaned as he tried to sit up. Scooting back he reached the wall and leaned against it. "Gwen? Owen?"

"Are in the cells right across the aisle now," Ianto told him.

"Rupert?"

"Dead," Grant said flatly.

"And the newcomers?" Jack queried. He remembered seeing the women fight now. They looked awesome in their rage.

"Fell silent after a while," Ianto said. "Interesting language they're speaking."

"Could you understand anything?"

"Nope."

"But they're bloody gorgeous!" Grant smirked. "If there weren't the bars between us…"

Ianto snorted with wry amusement.

"Are you two related, Jack?" he wanted to know.

Jack stared at him with mild bewilderment. "As far as I can tell, no, we're not related," he chuckled. He reached out for his young Welshman and brushed his fingers over his cheek, then threading into his hair. When he sensed that he could get a firm hold he gently pulled Ianto down and into a soft, lasting, and emotional kiss.

When Jack released him Ianto leaned his forehead against Jack's. Softly he asked, "Are you scared?"

"I'm scared for you, Yan. You, Gwen, Owen… and all the others."

"Do you still want to work on that escape plan?"

"Do you?" Jack replied with amused surprise.

"Yeah."

Jack swallowed hard as he heard the determination in that single word. Instinctively his hand clawed at Ianto's hair. Pride welled up inside of him that was immediately followed by fear. Ianto had come so far during the last year, from a simple administrative worker to a full-fledged field agent. Jack saw it with obvious pride and ever growing love, but he could not help but worry more and more the better Ianto became at his job and the more often he accompanied the team in the field.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Yan? What's up?"

"Are you brooding about me? About us?"

"You know me, Yan," he murmured, drawing him closer again to be able to whisper in his ear. "I'm always worrying about you. I love you."

Ianto winced. It was not Jack's protective side he wanted right now.

"I love you, too, Jack," he murmured. "I need you to do something for me, cariad."

"What is it, Yan?" Jack queried.

"You need to be our Captain Harkness, Jack," Ianto whispered urgently. "Find the rage inside of you that drove you when you rescued us from the cannibals. Resort to what you learned at the Time Agency, whatever that was. Just pull yourself together and help us to get out of here."

Jack swallowed hard. "What are you presuming?" he panted. "Are you calling me a coward?"

"No, Jack. I'd never think you're a coward." Tears were brimming his eyes. "I'm just under the impression that you're holding off for fear that something might happen to us. To me." He smiled sadly. "Jack, we're already in danger as long as we're locked up here. They want to sell us. I…"

Instinctively Jack tightened his hold on the Welshman who was shivering in his arms. For a moment Ianto let it happen, but then he pulled back, eyeing Jack intently.

"Jack. I'd rather die fighting than live in slavery. You're the best chance we've got. Fight with us."

The determination sparkling in Ianto's eyes and the resolve sounding in his voice sent chills down Jack's spine.

"Anything for you, cariad," Jack rasped. Once more he pulled Ianto in for a passionate kiss that he drew out as long as possible. When he let go the same determination lit in his eyes.

Ianto grinned. _Whoever the Tebr'ox pray to, they certainly need his help now. Captain Jack is back._

xXx

Toshiko followed the officers through the tunnels to a big room stuffed with technology. One side consisted of a glass wall that offered a great view into the gate room. There the huge ring stood atop a ramp, its centre currently covered by a metal shield. Armed soldiers took position in front of the ramp.

"What's up, Walter?" O'Neill demanded to know.

"We just received an IDC," Harriman told him. "It's the Hak'tyl."

"Ishta," Teal'c murmured, more to himself than to the others. A small smile played around his lips.

"Open the iris," O'Neill ordered.

The shield opened to reveal a shiny pool that looked like the rippling surface of a lake. Toshiko stared at it with wonder and her eyes widened further when a woman in leather clothes stepped out of the gate. Once she had passed through the gate, the surface of the pool rippling around her as she moved, the water effect dissipated, giving an unobstructed view of the concrete wall behind the gate.

"That's Neith," Teal'c said.

"Let's see why she's here," O'Neill said and left the control room first.

Teal'c followed right on his heels as well as Carter and Daniel. As nobody stopped her Toshiko trailed along with them. Upon entering the gate room Toshiko took a deep breath. The Stargate looked impressive. As did the woman who had just arrived.

"Greetings," O'Neill said to her.

Neith nodded at him before she turned to the Jaffa right behind him, "Shal kek nem ron, Teal'c."

"I too shall die free," he returned with a slight nod of greeting. "Is something wrong with Nesa?"

"My sister was doing well until she was stolen," Neith told them. "That is why I am here, Teal'c."

"Moloc? Did he find you?"

"No." Neith shook her head. "There were no Jaffa. They were alien to me as well as to our sisters."

"What did they look like?" Toshiko spoke up.

All eyes were directed to her when she asked that question. While the officers' looks expressed astonishment about her being there, Neith eyed her with undisguised suspicion.

"Who is the woman?" she asked snidely.

"Neith of Hak'tyl, this is Dr. Toshiko Sato," Teal'c introduced the Torchwood operative. "She is a liaison officer."

"Tek ma tek," Neith said with a nod to Toshiko who could only guess that it was a greeting.

"Pleased to meet you," she replied.

"They were quite tall," Neith then explained. "They wore simple clothes with a body armour. Dark hair. Long fingers. They had a ridge on their foreheads."

"Please tell us what happened, Neith," Teal'c said, gesturing her to come with them.

"They came to our camp! At first we thought they were Goa'uld, but their ships did not look like anything I have ever seen the Goa'uld use. Then they came for us."

O'Neill led them back into the board room where they all took a seat. Then Neith continued her tale.

"They walked into the settlement as if they owned it. Ishta and Ginra approached them. It was still possible that they were friendly." She grunted with anger. "They were not. Without warning they opened fire. Their weapons did not kill. They rendered the victims unconscious. We fought them, but it was not enough. They took our sisters."

"Who was taken?" Teal'c wanted to know, a sudden anxiety lacing his voice.

"Nesa," Neith choked as she was her sibling. "Ginra, Ka'lel, Kar'yn…"

When she trailed off Teal'c's features darkened. "Jaffa, ma'kree!" he shouted, jumping up from his chair and towering over her.

Holding her head high even in the face of the warrior's rage Neith replied. "They took Ishta."

"No!" Teal'c shouted. "Not Ishta!"

"Yes, it is true," Neith insisted. "Ishta was taken from us."

Teal'c sat back down heavily, clenching his teeth.

"Teal'c, I'm sorry," Carter said. Compassion sparkled in her eyes when she looked at him, knowing how close he and Ishta had become while the SGC had helped the Hak'tyl to become truly independent of the Goa'uld by teaching them how to use the drug Tretonin.

"Does the description tell you who they were?" Neith suddenly turned to Toshiko. "Do you know who did this?"

"Yes. The description fits the Tebr'ox," she replied and got out her PDA. It took only a short moment to find what Toshiko was looking for and she held the device out to Neith, the display showing the picture she had found in the database.

"Yes, that is them," Neith confirmed. Her features darkened. "This attack is an offence! We did not fight for our freedom from the Goa'uld to be taken like that! Ishta is our leader, a former High Priestess! We will not rest until she and our sisters are found!"

"Nor will I," Teal'c declared. "We will need a ship. Bra'tac can help us."

"Whoa! Teal'c!" O'Neill cut in. "Hold your horses, buddy. You can't just run away to hunt them with your Jaffa friends."

"Besides," Carter added, "you might not be able to follow them."

"What do you mean, Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked, seeming to ignore General O'Neill for the moment.

"If the attackers on Hak'tyl were the same as they were here on Earth, then their ship made the trip in two days," Carter explained. "An al'kesh needs at least a week to get from here to Hak'tyl at top speed."

"Now that's fast."

"It is," Carter agreed, glowering at Sheppard for his unsolicited comment. "Jack, if we were in doubt about going after the Tebr'ox before, now we have no choice. We know that they're a threat not only to us but to our allies as well. We have to do something."

Thoughtfully General O'Neill nodded.

"We need to make a plan," he decided. "Contact Thor and Selmak. I want to hear their opinions as well before we do anything. We'll meet here again in an hour. Dismissed."

tbc…

A/N: ma'kree = report


	16. Chapter 16

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood & Stargate story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I neither own Torchwood nor Stargate.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Hey. I don't want to go into detail about why it took me so long to return to this. Let's just say we can all be glad that I can actually update it. All right? Between everything that is happening I hope that I'll be able to get back to this one, too. Let's start with ch16 and see what happens. Thanks to you all. Enjoy.

**Ch****apter 16**

Toshiko was left in the dust of the officers rushing out of the board room to undertake their assigned tasks. Rather stunned she sank back against the high back rest and closed her eyes. She had to process everything she had learned during the meeting. Though she had to admit that a lot of it left her clueless. She simply lacked background information.

Out of the corner of her eye she registered movement at the door and turned her head. It was Dr. Jackson who leaned against the doorframe as he peeked into the room.

"Dr. Sato," he said. "You look kind of lost. I was on my way to the cafeteria. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Coffee would be wonderful," Toshiko sighed.

"Well, then come with me."

Toshiko did not need to be told twice and followed Jackson to the cafeteria. There he got two big mugs of coffee. He put them atop of his stack of books. Toshiko held her breath as he was balancing his load, then she decided to save the precious coffee and took the mugs from him.

"Thanks," he chuckled. "Let's go to my office. We can talk undisturbed in there."

Toshiko nodded and trailed behind. Entering his office she almost dropped the coffee in surprise. The room was filled with shelves and each shelf crammed with artefacts. _What a treasure,_ she thought.

"Please, have a seat," Jackson said and pulled a chair out for her. Then he dropped the books on his desk and sat down in his office chair. He smiled as Toshiko placed one of the coffee mugs in front of him before she sat down and sipped at the hot brew. "Thanks."

"Thank you, Dr. Jackson," she replied.

"Daniel."

"Okay… Daniel. I'm Toshiko, Tosh."

He nodded and drank from his coffee. "Okay, so… what do you want to know?"

Yes, what did she want to know? There were so many questions burning inside of her, but she had to start with something, anything, so she asked, "Who is Neith and where is she from?"

"Neith is a Jaffa woman and second of command of the Hak'tyl," Daniel began to explain. "Ishta is their leader. She once was in the service of the Goa'uld Moloc as a High Priestess before she created a safe haven for female Jaffa who were being sentenced to die at birth under Moloc's reign. Once she met Teal'c, she joined her group, the Hak'tyl, with the Rebel Jaffa and began to use Tretonin." Seeing Toshiko's inquiring gaze he added. "Tretonin is a drug that frees the Jaffa, genetically altered humans, from carrying a Goa'uld larva."

"Genetically altered?" Toshiko prodded.

"Yeah. The Goa'uld use humans as hosts. The lifespan of a Goa'uld is much longer than that of a human, but they knew how to repair the human body and extend its lifespan. Some Goa'uld are several thousand years old." Noticing that he drifted off the question she had asked Daniel said, "They gave the Jaffa longevity and perfect health. The price the Jaffa have to pay is to carry a Goa'uld larva in a stomach pouch until it is grown up."

"So that's what the Jaffa are for? They carry the spawn of those creatures?" Toshiko was disgusted. The idea of being a host was abhorrent.

"That's one of their purposes, yes," Daniel agreed. "Male Jaffa are warriors who fight for the System Lords of the Goa'uld. They provide their armies and body guards. All Jaffa need a Goa'uld larva to survive once they reach the age of prata, puberty. For a Jaffa it is an honour to carry the child of their god…"

"God?" Toshiko interrupted him, nearly undrinking her coffee.

"Yes," Daniel nodded. "The Goa'uld possess far superior technology that they use to suppress their people. The System Lords have created their legends as gods in order to get their slaves' absolute obedience. Goa'uld are posturing ego-maniacs driven by an insatiable lust for power. Each one capable of unimaginable evil."

"And Neith is a Jaffa, as well as Teal'c?"

"Yes."

"And they're independent of those larvae."

"Yes. Because they use Tretonin," Daniel confirmed. "The Tok'ra developed it from a formula invented by the Pangarans. They made it from ground up symbiotes."

"I see," Toshiko said thoughtfully. "So Neith lives on another planet, right?"

"Yes, on Hak'tyl."

"And Teal'c? He's working with you, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's part of our team." Daniel smiled over his coffee mug. "After our first successful mission on Abydos we believed that was the only planet the Stargate led to, but then a Goa'uld came through the 'gate. First we thought he came from Abydos and the military wanted to destroy the population there with an atomic bomb. We could prove, though, that the Goa'uld came from another world and when we found out from where our team was sent to eliminate the threat. We were caught and the System Lord, Apophis, would've killed us if we wouldn't have been able to convince the First Prime of his Jaffa army to help us escape."

"Teal'c?"

"Yes. As it turned out he already had his doubts about the divinity of the Goa'uld. His teacher, former First Prime, Master Bra'tac, woke those doubts in him. He taught him that the Goa'uld were false gods. That saved our lives."

Toshiko nodded thoughtfully. There was quite a lot to process. "You said that you believed that Abydos was the only world reachable with the Stargate up to that point."

"Yes."

"But there are more? Like the world Apophis ruled over?"

"Yes, there are many more," Daniel said, sitting up straighter. "We first thought that the Goa'uld were the builders of the Stargate Network, but we later discovered that they had merely made use of the relics left behind by a different and extinct race, the Ancients."

"Network?" Toshiko gasped.

"Oh, yes!" Daniel enthused. "There are thousands of Stargates out there. Abydos and Chulak were just the first ones we happened to find. After Sam figured out how to calculate the drift of the planets we suddenly got numerous gate addresses that can actually be dialled."

"How do you do that? That dialling, I mean?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "Sam could explain the workings of the Stargate better than I can," he admitted. "I can merely tell you the gist of it, that Stargates are large rings composed of a mineral called naquadah. Each Stargate possesses nine chevrons on the outer ring and on the inner ring are 36 symbols representing star constellations as well as one symbol for the planet of origin, in our case Tau'ri, Earth."

"And with six of the constellation plus the point of origin you can direct a course to another world," Toshiko threw in.

Daniel's eyes widened with surprise and he smirked. "Yes."

"And how do you get through?"

"The Stargates generate an artificial stable wormhole between each other," Daniel said. Then he chuckled, "And I memorized that."

Now Toshiko smirked, too, while Daniel shrugged.

"I told you I'm not a technical expert. My thing is archaeology, specifically writing systems and languages."

"Yeah. You deciphered how the symbols on the Stargate had to be arranged. Now that you explained it to me I understand better what little I read in the file I got about Stargate Command."

"I'm glad that I could help," Daniel smiled. "And I hope that we'll be able to find the abducted people."

"Yeah." Toshiko sighed. Just that quickly her thoughts were returned to Jack and the rest of the team. "I still hope that I'll get an opportunity to talk with Colonel Carter about the exact mode of operation of the Stargate."

"As technical expert of Torchwood that surely is interesting for you," Daniel agreed. "Most times she starts to talk about technology of any kind it's way over my head. Or Jack's." He laughed.

"I know what you mean. I often need to explain myself a second time, too."

"You certainly have experience with alien technology, right?" Daniel asked, a sudden hint of excitement in his voice.

"Yes."

"Um…" He jumped up from his chair and hurried to a shelf, searching something in a box. "Have you ever seen this?" he asked as he returned to the desk and placed the item in front of her on the tabletop. "All we know is that it's neither Goa'uld nor Ancient."

Now it was Toshiko's turn to stare. She could not believe what she saw. The silvery thing looked like a flattened egg with several diagonal grooves. There was no visible button or switch, the surface smooth except the grooves.

"Where did you find that?" Toshiko demanded to know, barely able to contain her excitement.

"On PX2-147," Daniel said. "The civilisation there was long gone, but we found a whole box of those things in the ruins. We ran the usual tests on it, but nothing happened. Maybe it's just a paper weight."

"You could certainly use it as that," Toshiko chuckled, "but it's not what it is."

"You know it?"

"Yes. Stand over there," she told him and shoved him gently a bit further to the centre of the room. Then she brushed her thumb over the item and let it fall to his feet.

"What the…!" Daniel cried out when he all of a sudden was surrounded by an energy field that glowed in a very faint shade of purple.

"An inflatable cell," Toshiko cheered. "It's cool, huh?"

"It is," Daniel panted as he tried in vain to get out of it. "How do you turn it off?"

"Um…" Toshiko thoughtfully put two fingers over her lips. "I never used it myself."

"Oh, great!" Daniel huffed. "So I'm stuck here?"

"No, it can't be that difficult," Toshiko replied, squatting down and fumbling around with the silvery stone.

"Maybe you should go and get Carter?" Daniel suggested.

Glancing up at him from her squatting position Toshiko scowled. "Why?"

"Figuring out how it works?" he replied nervously.

"That won't be necessary," Toshiko smirked. Then she swept her fingers along the grooves on the cell, snapped her fingers, and the force field vanished. Picking the device up, she straightened up and pressed it into Daniel's hand, saying, "Torchwood may be just a small time operation compared to Stargate Command, but we still have safety protocols."

_Of course, actually following said protocols is another matter entirely._ Thinking that made her insides constrict painfully as she was reminded of her team mates, what they might say, how they might act. She had to take a deep breath.

Realization dawning, Daniel returned her grin. "You were just pulling my leg!"

Toshiko did not have it in herself to continue with the banter, but she still smiled, "Did you really think I'd be that foolish and toy with the thing if I didn't know what it is and how to handle it?"

For a second there he hesitated before he shook his head. "No. It was me. Usually I don't panic that easily." His smile softened. You took me by surprise."

Toshiko smiled back. "Thank you."

tbc...


	17. Chapter 17

**Odyssey**

a Torchwood crossover story

by RoadrunnerGER

_Disclaimer_: I don't own anything of the related shows. I just love to play with their characters.

_Summary_: Abducted away from Earth and sold into slavery Team Torchwood has to fight for survival. Being left behind Tosh works with the Stargate team, going on a frantic odyssey across the universe in order to save her friends. Crossover, set s2

A/N: Thanks for all your comments, for your faith, for requesting more, and for sticking with it even through the long pause. I hope that I'll be able to update more often again. I plan to, but who knows… Special thanks to _mandassina_ for beta-reading. Enjoy!

**Chapter 17**

Jack could not help but worry when he got up from the floor. At first he had anxiously monitored how Ianto reacted to the abduction. He had been glad to see that he pulled himself together. Now he feared that Ianto was becoming overconfident.

_And that's only because he knows a little more about my past than the others do. I need to make him understand that my training alone won't get us out of here._ He stifled a sigh. _The best way to do that will be to convince the others._

What Jack was not ready to face yet was the fact that Ianto knew exactly what was going on. The young Welshman had made a decision that could bring them freedom or would get him killed. Jack was not prepared to accept that.

So Jack stepped forward to the bars. A look back and around his cage told him that there were the same men locked up with him, except Rupert who was, as Grant had claimed, dead. Taking a calming breath Jack steeled himself and spoke to the other prisoners.

"Is anybody injured?"

"Only a few abrasions!" Gwen shouted back.

"Owen?"

"Nothing serious here!" the medic grunted.

"What about the others? Cage one? Are you all right?"

"More or less," someone answered him.

"One of us is missing," a woman told him.

"I'm in another cage!" Alyssa called out. "Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm right across of you now!"

Little by little Jack got responses from all cages. Thankfully nobody else was seriously injured. Once he had determined that he decided to satisfy his own curiosity.

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness," he shouted in the direction of the cages that had been empty before. "Does anybody of you understand me? Who are you?" As he did not really expect someone to answer him as long as he spoke English he repeated what he said in one of the commons he had learnt. To his infinite surprise a woman called out for him.

"Captain Harkness? My name is Ishta. I am the leader of the Hak'tyl."

Craning his neck Jack could spot her in the last cage of the row across the aisle. The blonde woman he had seen fighting before stood at the bars, her posture exuding pride. She certainly was a born warrior queen.

"Even under the circumstances it is nice to meet you, Ishta of the Hak'tyl," he replied. "Is that also the name of your planet, Hak'tyl?"

"Yes, it is."

"How is it that you know our language?"

"Our people are an ally of the Tau'ri," she told him flatly. "You certainly are aware of General O'Neill's efforts to support us in our final independence of Moloc?"

Jack did a double take. _Moloc? Who's Moloc?_

Ianto stepped beside him, taking his arm. "Jack, who or what is Moloc?"

"I have no idea," Jack murmured back. To Ishta he said, "I don't know a General of this name. Where is he serving?"

"He's the honourable leader of the Tau'ri," Ishta snapped. "What kind of captain are you that you do not know your highest leader?"

"_Ishta! Ha're kree_!" another woman shouted.

"_Kree shak nel, Kar'yn_," Ishta replied sharply and added, "Answer me, Captain!"

Jack was at a loss. He did neither know the names nor did he understand their language. Where was Hak'tyl? And who was General O'Neill?

"Jack? What's going on?" Gwen asked.

"I'll tell you when I know," he hissed back. He had to answer Ishta and thought feverishly about what he should tell her. While he still thought about it he heard the women talk with each other in their own language. Suddenly Ianto nudged his side.

"Jack!" he said excitedly. "I think I know who they mean!"

"Oh, really? Enlighten me!"

"One of them used the word chappa'ai. I've heard that word before. I think it means Stargate."

"Stargate?"

"Really, Jack," Ianto said in an admonishing tone. "If I didn't file the stuff you ought to read but don't, we would die stupid. She means us, Jack. Tau'ri, humans, Earth."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, but even as he spoke the wheels started to slot in place and he remembered. _Stargate. Oh, yes._

"Jack, really," Ianto complained. "The Stargate Command belongs to the U.S. Air Force."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that I've read about the Stargates. I've never been on a planet that had one, though. What do you know about them?"

"We were only notified that the program exists," Ianto told him sternly. "You might remember if you'd ever read your mail."

Jack grinned sheepishly at his Welshman. "That's what I have you for."

Snorting Ianto cocked his head to the side and glowered at Jack who then turned to the bars again.

"Ishta? I think we've had a misunderstanding. I'm the leader of Torchwood. That's a different force on another continent of… Tau'ri." He waited a short moment for a reaction that did not come. "We are allies of General O'Neill, but none of us has had the honour of actually meeting him."

"I see. So we both are allies against the Goa'uld."

Ianto scowled with confusion, but this time Jack knew what Ishta meant. And something else returned from the depths of his memory, the location of the base in Colorado as well as some of the names that appeared in his old history books.

"Yes, we are," Jack confirmed. "I can clearly foresee the day when all Jaffa will be free of the slavery of the false gods."

Watching Jack as he said that Ianto had to bite back a smirk. _Foresee, Jack?_ he chuckled inwardly. _You rather remember, huh?_

Ishta on the other hand seemed to be pleased by Jack's words. "Shal kek nem ron, Captain Harkness," she said with pride. "How many of your warriors are here with us?"

"Three," Jack told her. "My second in command as well as two of the field operatives."

"Who are the others?" Ishta asked with slight confusion.

Jack needed a moment to realize that she misunderstood the structure of Earth's societies. She had called General O'Neill their highest leader before and back then Jack did not further think about that. Now he knew that she probably only had dealt with the officers at the Stargate Command and believed the whole population of the Tau'ri to be warriors, like her and the Hak'tyl.

"They are civilians," Jack told her.

"Civilians?" Ishta asked as expected.

"They never learnt how to fight, Ishta," Jack explained. "They have other important positions in our society."

"Like cultivating the fields and forging your weapons!" she said. "I understand."

Murmur swept through the room and Jack suspected that some others wanted to complain about the characterization, but in the end they remained silent. That was when Ishta continued to speak.

"They still can fight if they are guided in the right way. We shall work out a plan and give everyone instructions. Every single one shall contribute in our victory."

"Sounds great," Ianto murmured. "You two would be a good team."

"We are a good team, Yan," Jack whispered back and breathed a kiss on Ianto's forehead. "Ishta, that is encouraging! We already collected information about everyone's abilities. So let's go on and work on a plan!"

They talked a long while about said plan. Once, when some of the Tebr'ox came in to wash out their cells and throw them food, they had to interrupt and pretend to be tired and weary, but that was not too hard because they were tired and weary. Fortunately, none of the Tebr'ox noticed anything. Everyone picked up what food she or he could get. Then Ishta and Jack, together with Gwen, Owen, and Grant as well as Lee and Alex who sat in other cages continued to prepare their escape.

Eventually Ianto caved to Jack's prodding and retreated to the back of the cell. Wet and dead tired he wished for at least a blanket or a thin mattress to lie down on. All he had, though, was the metal floor, the metal wall, metal bars, and a gutter that smelled like they were on a waste dump. The Tebr'ox washed the worst dirt away, but hosing them down did not equal washing them. So everything and everyone stank.

Slowly Ianto sat down and leaned against the wall. He was tired, but he did not know how he was supposed to sleep. His anxiety rivalled with the disgust the idea of lying down on the floor woke in him. Looking at Jack he sighed. They were still planning and were going to plan for who knew how long. He longed for his partner to be there for him, but he had asked him to help them escape. Ianto knew that he could not have both.

He had managed to at least doze a little when hands on his shoulders stirred him back to awareness. Blinking several times he focused on Jack.

"Hey, Yan," the captain said. "Is there room here for me?"

"Sure," Ianto mumbled tiredly and shifted his position to let Jack sit down beside him. Jack, though, did not take the offered place. "Something wrong?"

"No, Yan." Jack smiled softly. "Just… oh, well."

Shrugging his coat off his shoulders Jack spread the long and thick greatcoat on the floor and squatted down beside it.

"Come here, Yan," he said.

Ianto could have cried. He felt the tears well up in his eyes and tried to force them back. Fingertips brushing over his cheek made him lose that fight. The tears were rolling and Ianto caved to the gentle draw of Jack's hand on the back of his neck. Slowly he sank down on the greatcoat and stretched out beside Jack. Under the circumstances the fabric felt heavenly soft. Ianto sensed Jack lie down behind him and his hand caress his wet hair. When he tried to find a comfortable position he found Jack's arm beneath him and the captain guiding him to rest his head on it. Squirming around he made himself comfortable. Once he rested on Jack's coat the captain wrapped his free arm around his waist and pulled him against his body. Welcome warmth spread through Ianto.

"Feeling better, Yan?" Jack asked.

"Hm hmmm."

"Rest, _anwylyd_," Jack murmured. "You can rest for a while."

"No. We need to stay alert and…"

"We've appointed guards. We'll know when they come back." Jack caressed Ianto's stomach and tickled his belly button.

"Jack, don't," Ianto complained.

"Why?"

"We're not alone," Ianto hissed. At the same time languorous shudders coursed through his body. Jack's warm breath hit the back of his neck and it was all he could do not to moan. He missed Jack. Knowing the captain he could have him right here and now. His lover from the future did not know inhibitions. He certainly did not mind having an audience.

Ianto got proof of that when he felt Jack's hand ever so slowly travel down between his legs. He wanted to object but could not find the strength to do so. The soft warmth cupping his core through the fabric of his trousers made him shiver. His breath hitched in his chest when Jack gently squeezed. Ianto moaned softly. He did not dare to issue other sounds but he knew that he certainly would if he did not tell Jack to stop.

On the back of his neck Ianto felt Jack's lips nip on his skin. A trail of kisses across his neck made Ianto shiver. It was a wonderful sensation to get caressed like that.

Knowing that he had to be careful Jack slowly let his hand travel over Ianto's thigh. Up and down he smoothed his palm over his lover's leg, his side and his arm. Every now and then he spoiled him with kisses.

Jack's skilled fingers found the spots that were especially susceptible to his ministrations that were not aimed to excite but to relax this time. He smiled to himself when Ianto sighed.

"Sleep well, _anwylyd_," Jack whispered, kissing Ianto tenderly.

A moment later the young Welshman's regular breathing told him that he was fast asleep.

tbc…


End file.
